


Come Fly With Me

by Kakarot_Son



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-08
Updated: 2014-12-08
Packaged: 2017-12-18 02:33:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 53,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/874661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kakarot_Son/pseuds/Kakarot_Son
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an accident Videl struggles to piece together the life she once lived, however it proves to be much easier said than done... especially when a certain demi-Saiyan doesn't want to be a part of the puzzle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Videl sighed as she punched in the security code to her front door. While it had been a nice long night out with Erasa, she was exhausted. Having opted to see a movie with her friend rather than train for the upcoming World Martial Arts Tournament, Videl was ready to get some sleep so that she could put all her energy into her workouts tomorrow.

Walking into Satan Manor, she yawned as she ambled towards her bedroom. Thankfully it wasn't all that long a walk and she was soon at the door of said room. She lazily opened the expensive door handle and jumped onto her bed before kicking off her boots.

Yanking the white socks of her petite feet, she tossed the blanket over herself and laid her head down on her bed. Not even bothered to change her clothes, she closed her eyes -

_Beep._

_Beep._

_Beep._

Videl almost instantly groaned as she pressed a button on the video phone that was on her wrist... of course the chief would call at what was probably three-something in the morning.

Answering the call, Videl willed herself to sit up.

"Oh good, Videl... you're awake." The face of the chief beeped to life on her  _watch_.

"What is it chief?" Not in the mood to waste time, Videl demanded an answer.

"There's a situation near the Sushi Bar. Some robbers have gotten in and are holding the manager and a few other customers at gunpoint, we think they want money... but we're not exactly sure."

"On it," replied Videl mechanically as she stretched her hands. While they were rather annoying, the late-night emergency calls weren't anything new.

Ripping herself out of her comfortable bed, Videl quickly slipped on her socks and grabbed both her boots as she ran out her bedroom door. Figuring that going via the helipad wouldn't be a good idea, she ran as fast as her feet would carry her towards the front yard, uncaring for the several servants that she awoke.

She passed both of her boots into her left hand, as she fished around in her right pocket for the capsule in which her jet-copter was in. Grasping it in her left hand, she turned the doorknob to the front door and jumped onto the porch with both feet.

Videl tossed the valuable capsule into the emptiness of her front yard and quickly pulled on both of her boots, not even paying mind to the zombie-like state of mind she was in; she was running on autopilot. She ran into the copter and leaped into the front seat, quickly starting the vehicle up. As the engine roared to life, she headed towards the Sushi Bar without a second thought.

After checking the time on the console at the front, she frowned as she realised that at the current time the police wouldn't be too reliable. It was so late that they'd all probably end up doing a crummy job. Drawing on the memories of a few bad previous experience, she gripped the joystick of the jet-copter tightly with both hands and accelerated.

While she was sure she was breaking several speed limits, Videl paid it no mind. It was only recently that she had been granted proper status, which allowed her to breach regular speed laws in emergency, like every other policeman did. It had infuriated the black-haired girl for months on end, and only after a life was almost lost because of her _inability_ to get to the crime scene had the Police Department budged.

If it had been a normal occasion, Videl would have taken the opportunity to admire the beautiful lit-up city below her; well lit-up and beautiful, quiet and just the right temperature—Satan City's summer nights were a stop on every tourists list. But she didn't have time for that. No... she needed to focus, and her sleep-like mind wasn't helping.

Turning on the autopilot controls, she opened up the glove box and took out a pair of fingerless black-gloves.

"Godammit..." whispered Videl as she discovered that they weren't metal encrusted. Unfortunately, that meant there wasn't going to be any surprising robbers with the back of her fist.

Making a note to replace them, she gently put them on and flexed her hands. Videl peeked her head out of the jet-copter and drove it towards the roof of the Sushi Bar, before promptly jumping out; her jet-copter capsulating behind her.

Before landing, she quickly rolled into a ball to reduce the impact of the falls and stood up. Surveying the situation, Videl noticed that the Police had set up a barricade outside the building. However no-one seemed to be going in...

' _Fools,_ ' thought Videl. She jumped off the roof of the building and landed on the other side of the barricade with practiced ease.

Ignoring the squeals of joy from the Policeman at her arrival, she quickly kicked open the flimsy door of the Sushi Bar.

Almost as expected, a thug immediately came at her with a rifle. She swayed to the left to dodge without hesitation as he swung it at her.

' _You'd think that he'd have the brains to fire this thing,_ ' the Satan girl wasn't sure if it was a good thing that the robbers generally had a very questionable intelligence level, however it definitely made her job easier.

Quickly snatching the gun out of his hands, she snapped a knee up into his gut before shoving him to the side without breaking a sweat.

Holding the rifle in both her hands, she grimaced as several thugs attempted to fire at her while one or two raised their guns towards their hostage's heads. Her face fell even further as she threw herself to the side to dodge a storm of bullets... this wouldn't be fun.

Getting back on her feet, Videl raised the gun in her hands and quickly pulled the trigger before shoving it upwards at the last second. A loud bang echoed throughout the room as a few bullets hit a metal object embedded in the ceiling. It caused a distraction which gave her just enough time to toss the gun up into the air before sliding towards a nearby thug with a hostage.

A quick palm-thrust to the man's nose left him reeling in pain, as the unconscious hostage fell onto the floor. Instinctively, she span around and ducked as several bullets flew through the empty space which her head had previously been occupying. By either dumb luck or pure skill, nothing made contact with her back.

As several of the robbers reloaded their guns, she back-flipped into the air and landed behind a rather bulky one. A sickening crunch met his back, but Videl paid it no mind. As _tragic_ as injuries were, it was what they got for robbing in the first place.

She continued to take out the robbers one-by-one as they watched horrified, knowing that their attempts would be fruitless. Videl had seen them all before; every thug thought they were invincible when they had a gun on their hands... she was there to prove them wrong.

…

"Thanks again for saving my store, Videl." An old man beamed at the teenage girl.

"It was no problem, it's my job," replied Videl modestly as she offered him a smile.

"Still... there must be something that I can do to express my gratitude?" The shopkeeper asked, determined to not let the crime-fighter's good deeds go unpaid.

"Nah," Videl grinned. "Just keep making this delicious food."

The old man nodded, promisingly. "Just let me know if there's ever anything I could do for you, Videl."

She met his eye, before jumping out of the chair she was sitting on. "Anyway... it's getting pretty late now, I think it's best I get home." She stretched her arms, yawning.

The shopkeeper bid her a good night and Videl walked towards the door which she had kicked down just a few hours ago.

Or at least that's what she did until she bumped into a rather-tall boy, who had just stumbled into the place.

"What are you doing here? Only the police and myself are allowed in here... how'd you get in?" She instantly sprung from a relaxed mood to detective mode.

"I-I'm s-sorry. You see, I just wanted to grab something to eat... I'll be right on my way." The boy quickly spun around towards the exit.

"Hang on!" Videl said, grabbing onto his arm as he turned around. "Aren't you the new kid in our class?"

Taking the small blush which rose onto his cheeks as an affirmative, Videl relaxed her muscles. "Gohan, wasn't it?"

She offered out her hand in a gesture of goodwill as the boy nodded.

"I'm Videl." He took it, almost hesitatingly, and they shook.

"... So what were you doing out here at god-knows what time in the morning?" Videl asked, the formalities now over. She wanted answers and she would get them... she'd just have to try to avoid beating the guy up this time.

"Uhh... I was just around in the city, and I was a little hungry... so I stopped by at this sushi bar."

"At four a.m. in the morning?"

"Y-yes."

"And didn't you see the tape which sealed off this area?" Videl almost deadpanned.

"Tape?" The boy asked inquisitively before meeting her questioning eyes, "there wasn't any."

Videl frowned. It was a little early for the police to have removed the tape.

"Anyway, as much as I'd love to stay and chat; it's getting pretty late. See ya around, Gohan." Videl raised the back of her hand causally as she walked out the door.

Tossing the capsule of her jet-copter onto the empty street, Videl hopped in as soon as it had decapsulated. She needed to get some sleep.

…

Videl awoke with a start as she heard knocking on her door. She hesitantly got off her bed and stood up.

"Who is it?" asked Videl in a lazy tone as she walked towards her door.

"Ms. Satan, your father is requesting your presence in the gym," the voice which she quickly identified as that of her butler's replied. Sighing a little, she rubbed her bleary eyes open before responding to the aging man.

"Tell him, I'll be down in about ten minutes." Walking further back into her room, she yawned as she took off her dirty clothes from the day before and put on a pair of folded pyjamas that were laying on her desk. Regardless of whatever her father wanted, she'd be going back to sleep soon enough anyway.

She pulled out the two hair-bands which she'd been too tired to remove last night, and ran her fingers through her hair as a makeshift comb. Not even bothered to look at the time, Videl slowly left her room—she was still dead on her feet from the little early morning adventure she'd had.

Walking into the gym, Videl faced her father who looked as though he had been awaiting her arrival.

"So… honey... how's your memory been treating you? Can you remember anything else?"

...


	2. Chapter 2

"Not much better," Videl sighed as she let out a deep breath. "It's all a blur… I can't really believe I'm eighteen, dad! Everything feels almost as if I'm still fifteen."

Mr. Satan nodded sympathetically. Videl could tell that he couldn't really understand what she was suffering through, but she couldn't blame him… not many could.

"Remember, the doctors say that there's a fair chance that the amnesia will wash away in the next year or so, maybe even just a few months. If not, I'm afraid they suspect it'll be… permanent."

"I understand, dad. I missed a couple years of my life, but everything's pretty much the same... except I'm not in high school anymore." It really wasn't, she had no clue what was going on any more. Most of the people she knew had turned their backs on her, soon revealing ulterior motives; Erasa was one of the few people that she could still trust, too many others were willing to take advantage of her memory issues.

She wasn't exactly sure how people had heard of her amnesia, hell she didn't even know how she had gotten it, but saying it was headline news was a bit of an understatement. Many 'best friends' or 'boyfriends' had suddenly made their presences known, but Videl could tell that it was all bullshit. She may have been lacking in the memory department but her brains hadn't been affected.

Erasa had confirmed that she wasn't seeing anyone at the time and that while she'd made a few pretty good friends, they weren't any of the ones coming forward. Her father had been keen to also back up her friend's statements, so Videl was left at a loss. She wasn't exactly eager to meet these 'good friends' that she'd had either… things would be awkward. Things were already weird enough with Erasa as it was, although she'd finally began to warm up towards her friend once more.

"… Well, if you need anything don't be afraid to knock on my door, sweet pea." The elder Satan gave her a reassuring nod of his head as his eyes softened.

"Will do," she nodded as she turned around to leave the gym and return to her bedroom… she just wanted to sleep.

"Hang on," she turned around once more as her father held out a hand. "Where were you last night? I heard a pretty large racket earlier on."

"Well, Erasa and I were out shopping pretty late. Then the chief called in when I got home, and it wasn't like I could say no…" Videl trailed off slightly.

Her father sighed hopelessly. "I've told you before that you shouldn't be out so late at night, sweet pea."

"Dad! I can take care of myself, even if I don't remember who I am; I still know how to fight." Videl protested as she snapped awake, she wasn't a plastic doll which needed to be protected. She could fight and she was among the world's greatest martial artists… at least of her age group.

"Speaking of which… I've been thinking about this long and hard, but have you given any thought into perhaps resigning from the Police Force?" Hercule said cautiously, almost as though he was treading on thin ice.

Videl could understand why he was being so over-protective… He just wanted what was best for her, after all. And had the amnesia been any more serious, he could've lost her. She'd have been simply a living ghost, a body with nothing controlling it. She wouldn't remember anything… at all.

Attempting to help her rebuild her life from that would have been devastating for anyone. Especially her dad, this man had watched her grow from the minute her mother had given birth to her. It gave her a certain feeling of… happiness, to know that her father cared deeply for her.

His ego had been irritating for a long, long time. She'd been getting fed up with it and she was unsure if anything had happened within the last few years, but ever since she had woken up not remembering anything; he was a changed man. There was genuine care visible every time he talked to her and as much as she loved it, it was a bit too much at times.

"No… I'm not resigning dad. There's too much at stake, the police in this city need me. I'm physically fit so I can keep going and besides, fighting's in my blood. If there's anything I can handle, criminals are it." She replied, attempting to keep bitterness out of her voice.

Nodding, her dad responded. "If you're sure… but don't hesitate to call in sick, honey. Don't work yourself too hard. Other than that, there's one final thing I've got to ask you."

Videl's eyebrows rose as she looked at her father, intrigued. She was fairly surprised that he hadn't pushed too hard for her to resign and rather curious to find out what the question was.

"It's been about a month and a half now… and I've pulled about just every string I can. If you want to stay in high school, you're going to have to go back on Monday. That… or you can take the rest of the year off and repeat it next year." Her intrigued features quickly turned to ones of shock; she'd been enjoying her 'holidays' up until this point.

Staying home in isolation, doing nothing but training and occasionally hanging out with Erasa and sometimes Sharpner… she'd be lying to say that hadn't been fun. It wasn't that she didn't mind going to school, it was the people there.

She wasn't really sure who she could trust… or who she knew. Erasa had taken the time to get a photo of almost every kid there was on her cell phone and teach Videl most of their names, so she wouldn't be a mumbling embarrassed mess on her first day back but that was hardly enough.

Videl never had a talent for memory games or the like, and seeing a student body which mostly consisted of newer or drastically changed faces didn't help. She'd still only learned a couple of the newer kids.

Then there was the issue of school work. Videl wasn't the smartest, she wasn't necessarily dumb either but she preferred martial arts over written work… she was just average. However, she technically had missed out on the better part of the last two school years.

There would've been several things which were left uncovered, several gaps which would take time to fill in. It wasn't that she didn't mind putting in the extra work, but rather why she had to. She'd been a good student, she didn't deserve to have work thrown on her like it soon would be… but at the same thing there wasn't much that she could do.

Videl found herself half tempted to simply take the rest of the year off, and as appealing as that offer sounded it also meant leaving Erasa behind. Erasa was a childhood friend, and Videl wasn't prepared to ditch her. Sharpner too… they were friends and damn good ones.

Even if Videl didn't remember any of it, the Videl which remembered everything wouldn't have appreciated her breaking off from them. No, it would be simpler to just try and catch up with everything.

And besides, she was Videl Satan. She was Satan City's notorious crime fighter; she could take anything that was thrown at her. High school wasn't a big deal, and Videl had a feeling that it could somehow work out if she tried hard enough.

"Videl, are you alright?" Her father asked, snapping his fingers in front of her tired face.

"Huh?" Videl asked, dazed. "Oh yeah… I'm fine… just tired. Guess I zoned out there, huh?"

"Sure, sure. So do you want me to contact the headmaster and arrange for you to re-join next year?"

"Nope. I want to go back to school on Monday," Videl smiled at his questioning look. "It's not like I can leave Erasa and Sharpner behind, right?"

"That good-for-nothing blonde kid? I wouldn't mind if you forgot about him, but if you're sure honey; I'll have it arranged."

"Thanks dad… I think I'm going to head off to bed again now."

With that, Videl headed towards her bedroom with the intent to get some rest for the third time in ten hours.

…

"C'mon Gohan, Videl's doing much better now. You should at least introduce yourself to her!" Erasa shook her head at her friend.

"W-well we kinda ran into each other, earlier in the morning." Gohan stuttered as he nervously sipped his coffee.

"Oh really? I'd have thought she was sleeping, we were out pretty late last night, in fact." Erasa said, curiously.

"It was at a crime scene… I had no idea, though. I just ran into her as I was going to get some sushi, it was a total accident though…" muttered the Son.

"Go on," Erasa beckoned. "What did she say? Did she recognise you? Y'know I should've set you two up to meet ages ago."

"Well, she recognised me. But, not the kind of me that I was hoping for." Giving her friend a confused stare, she let him continue.

"She remembered Son Gohan, the new kid who got perfect entrance exams. But not me…" Gohan let out a little sigh, as she instantly caught on.

"Aww… I'm sorry Gohan," Erasa said sympathetically, as she reached over the table and patted him on the back. "But then again you should've talked to her ages ago and just told her everything."

Inwardly, Erasa found herself slightly surprised. Videl shouldn't have been able to remember Gohan, but then again there were a few different things that Videl shouldn't have been able to remember. Recalling a certain conversation with a doctor however, made her remember that it was not unexpected.

"I don't think I can put myself through that though, Erasa. It's best to just keep my distance from her, as sad as it is; it's best she has nothing to do with me, this time." said Gohan, dejectedly.

"Don't be stupid, Gohan. You're a great guy, and if there circumstances were any different I'd be chasing after you like there was no tomorrow." Erasa gave him a reassuring smile; however something told her that it would not nearly be enough to bring him out of the mood he was in.

"That's all I am, and all I want to be, Erasa. I don't want to cut her off, but like Mr. Satan said, it's probably for the best. Maybe we can be friends or something…"

"Mr. Satan only wants what's best for his daughter, but like most parents, he's just as blind. This'll hurt her in the long run, Gohan. Is that what you really want? To pretend everything never happened?" Erasa questioned… she understood it and it made sense, but at the same time it didn't.

"It never did happen in the first place," Gohan said as he stood up from his chair. She watched him fumble around in his pocket for some money, before he placed it down on the table.

"Here…. this should be enough to cover the both of us, it's been nice talking to you, Erasa; but I've got to go. Maybe think a little… Maybe just be by myself for a while." Gohan said in a deeply philosophical tone that was unlike him, as he ran out of the cafeteria.

She didn't stop him.

…

"Gohaaan!"

The minute Gohan walked through the door; his left leg was grabbed and held tightly by a blob of orange and dark blue.

Ruffling his younger brother's hair, Gohan chuckled. Sometimes, he just needed a little pick-me up.  
"How's it going squirt?"

"Really good! Me and Trunks played hide and seek, and I finally won today!" Goten exclaimed as he jumped up and down.

"Well, that's nice." Gohan couldn't help but continue to laugh at the young boy… he was so… happy.

"Yep! And I got one of his toys too! You've gotta see this one, Gohan!" Finding himself dragged along to his and Goten's room, Gohan tagged along. He'd do what he could to keep Goten happy; his brother didn't need to know what exactly had gone on.

Amidst the junk on his bed, Goten quickly began his search for Trunk's former toy. Honest, Gohan wouldn't have been surprised if it was a baby rattle; anything could and would excite Goten.

Gohan smiled as Goten pulled out a small figure and covered it with his still-relatively small hands, beaming brightly. "Look at this one! I wanted to get this, but mummy wouldn't let me… please don't tell her though."

Gohan curiously looked closer, as his brother shifted closer towards him. Gently uncovering the figure, as if it was a small treasure, Goten whispered.

"Look… it's you." Gohan grimaced as the smile disappeared off his face.

It was a figure striking an odd pose that wore an odd orange and black helmet with two antennae sticking out of it. It also wore a cheap plastic replication of black spandex as a bodysuit; however most of it was covered up by the large green tunic that it was wearing on top. All of this was topped off by a red cape which stuck out from behind it.

There was no denying it… it was Saiyaman.

"I've told you before… not anymore, Goten. I'm not Saiyaman anymore, I quit and you know that." Gohan winced at the hurt look which flashed across the boy's face as his hopes were dashed. It was harsh, but necessary he supposed. And besides there were plenty worse things which could happen to a boy that was Goten's age.

"Can't you just be Saiyaman again, big brother? You were the coolest big brother ever!" Goten attempted to convince him otherwise, but it wasn't working. It wasn't happening, he was just Son Gohan.

Not the Delivery Boy, not the Gold Fighter, not Saiyaman. Just plain old Gohan, and he was going to keep it that way this time. Nobody else was going to discover his past… or his secrets. Not again. And this time he wasn't going to be stupid enough to keep them open like a book.

"I'm sorry, squirt. But I can't do it anymore and besides Satan City is safe now." Gohan sympathetically rubbed his brother's head.

"B-but Saiyaman's never there to save the day anymore! It's on those news shows every day, Gohan… mum just always turns them off the second they talk about you. The bad guys keep on robbing the good guys, and they can't fight back without you big brother!"

"I'm sure they'll manage," Gohan muttered. "They did before I appeared, and besides they've got Videl. She's a strong girl; she'll be able to take care of the city."

"… She was strong when she was Saiyagirl, but now she's just stinky old Videl again. She can beat the baddies most of the time, but it's not as cool anymore. And to become Saiyagirl again, she needs Saiyaman.  _Please?_  Do it for me? I promise I won't ever scribble over your homework again…" Goten spluttered slightly as he frowned.

It hurt Gohan… hurt him deeply, to see his brother like this. The child had always held a soft spot in his heart, having resembled their father so much during his absence; so naturally, he had a certain influence over Gohan… But it was for the best. All of it was for the best; Satan City didn't need a Saiyaman anymore.

"Sorry, Goten… but I can't be Saiyaman anymore. Tell you what? Why don't you see if dad wants to have a spar with the two of us, we can go over to the mountains?" Gohan watched as Goten attempted to cover up his disappointed face with a cheerful mask. It was painfully obvious that the boy was trying not to be too upset, but that deep down he was sad.

"Okay!" If Gohan didn't know otherwise, he would've thought the fake beam which his brother gave him to be real. Sighing to himself, Gohan picked up Goten's Saiyaman action-figure as he ran off to find their dad.

Fingering it, Gohan let out a deep breath. He really just wished things could slow down so that he could figure out what to do… what was going to happen, and what had already happened.

…

Videl quickly threw on the same old usual attire she wore every day, at least that hadn't changed. She nervously looked at her watch, checking the time.

She wasn't sure if she was meant to be satisfied that there was still a fair amount of time left, or to be scared because every second that she waited would be agonizingly slow. She'd decided to skip breakfast, having not felt like it and had instead opted to check over everything that she was taking to school.

It would be embarrassing enough to not remember half the people there, but even more so if she had forgotten her things. It felt as if she wasn't sure of a single thing until she had checked it, then checked it again and then finally checked it again to make sure that she had checked it again. This wasn't exactly the Videl that she remembered being, but then again… she wasn't exactly the Videl that she remembered being.

Reaching into one of her draws, Videl sighed to herself as she pulled out two yellow hair-bands. Walking in front of the mirror, she made sure that she looked somewhat decent before putting her hair into parting pigtails.

Normally, Videl wouldn't have given a rats-ass about what she looked like. She just wasn't one of those kinds of people, but today called for it. She hadn't necessarily been separated from society, but she hadn't been amongst it for the past few months; having only left her house to hang out with Erasa, lend a hand to the Police Force, or to get checked up at the hospital.

But nevertheless, this marked her real return to public. It had been a long, long time and she was determined to make it count. Also, there was the fact that she had trouble getting to sleep last night. She wasn't an insomniac or anything, nor was she being haunted by nightmares.

It was her nerves. She was just too anxious, maybe even a little scared. Her nerves kept her up practically all night, so much so that she couldn't for the life of her remember when she had managed to drift off.

Her digital clock had read three a.m. the last time that she had checked it, but she wasn't sure if that was an accurate representation of the time that she went to sleep. No, even after that, she'd spent hours upon hours simply staring up onto her dark ceiling.

She hadn't had a dream either… at least not one that she could remember, and Videl highly doubted that she got more than an hour or two of sleep, if any at all. She was somewhat relieved when she saw that the bags under her eyes weren't all too visible, it meant that she wouldn't be getting any questions about it.

Moving back to her bed, Videl picked up her yellow backpack and put it on before walking out of her bedroom door. As she moved through her house, she found her butler waiting in front of the front door.

"Miss Satan, you have not had anything to eat. What would you like for breakfast?" The man gave her a grin that looked warm, yet welcoming on his aging face. "I figured that maybe I could cook you up something, instead of the normal cereal that you're insistent that you eat."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Albert… But I'm not really feeling like eating anything today." said Videl, quietly. "I'm just not hungry… maybe you can make something nice for dinner though?"

"Miss Satan, I urge you to reconsider. This is your first day back at school in a long time, and you need to keep you energy up. As it's a job this household trusts me to do, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let you attend school on an empty stomach." Albert smiled at her once again, hoping that he'd be able to get her to change her mind.

"I'm sorry… I'm just not hungry." Videl frowned, as she opened the door and walked out; ignoring his small cries of protest.  
As she approached the front gate, Videl was surprised to see that a chauffeur was waiting with the car started.

She wasn't surprised that the chauffer was there… no, it was just that he was rather early. Another quick glance to her watch told her that it was only half past seven, which meant that he was at least  _twenty minutes_  early.

"You look like you could use a ride, Miss Satan?" The young chauffer grinned lazily at her through the open window as he yawned. He had a chiselled and well defined face, auburn-dark brown hair and damn near one of the cutest smiles she'd ever-

Abruptly stopping herself, Videl took a second to scold herself for almost checking out her  _chauffer_ , off all people. However, she supposed it wasn't really that something that could've been avoided…

She'd sort of hoped that she'd have been in a relationship by now, rather than having made no progress whatsoever, romantically. True, she didn't and had not expected to find her soul mate immediately but she'd have expected that Erasa would have pestered her into going on a date or two.

Perhaps not though… Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't that Videl had no interest in guys whatsoever, rather that most of the ones she met were arrogant scumbags. The others didn't seem to live up to her father's expectations of a 'boyfriend' but it wasn't as if she was romantically turned off.

She supposed that maybe she'd be able to finally get to know someone decent by the time that she was in university, but then again that was a longshot. She'd thought she'd find someone by the end of high school and evidently that hadn't happened.

Sighing, Videl responded. "Sorry, not really in the mood for getting driven… I think I'll walk."

"May I accompany you then, Miss Satan?" The chauffer flashed her cheesy smile, as he opened the door and stepped out, offering her his hand.

"Yes… you may," Videl smiled lightly, taking his hand as she decided to humour him, and besides she needed to clear her head. Talking with someone couldn't hurt. "Oh, and the name's Videl."

…


	3. Chapter 3

"Haha, alright then. So let's get moving then?" Her chauffer slipped his hand carefully out of her loose hold.

"Yep… but don't you have a name first?" Videl grinned playfully at him. He seemed pretty nice; maybe it wouldn't hurt to get to know him. And besides… Erasa certainly would approve.

"Oh yeah… name's Mark." He replied, grinning back at her.

Videl started to walk, as he followed, keeping up beside her step-by-step. "So… I don't really remember you, but we-"

"Were we friends before you lost your memory?" Mark cut her off, funnily enough finishing her sentence for her.

"Yep. I kinda don't remember much, there are fragments or random things here and there but everything after fourteen in one gigantic blank." Videl sighed; she was going to have to repeat the same sentence several times over the next few hours.

"Figured you'd ask that. Nope… I'd just been hired, when you lost your memory that was, and you weren't too friendly with the new kid who just wanted to make an easy buck."

"I didn't say anything too bad, did I? I mean, you don't seem like you're a bad guy or anything." Videl bit her lip nervously.

"Well, you didn't really know me. I'd only been with you guys for about a week before you lost your memory, but hey; I can get to know you now, right?" He playfully stuck out his tongue as they passed a small café.

"I guess…" said Videl slightly nervously. "So anyways… you seem pretty young, so if you don't mind me asking; how old are you?""

"Just turned nineteen a couple of weeks ago," Mark grinned casually. "So how about you, I hear you're about eighteen… right?"

Videl was a little taken aback. It was surprising that her father had even hired him in the first place… he had a very strict policy against having guys near her own age around. It was probably some kind of stupid unwritten law of parenting, and it was just like him to assume that she wasn't big enough to take care of herself.

"Well… I guess I'm eighteen. But the last birthday I remember having was my fifteenth. I guess it's kind of crazy; it takes the saying, 'time flies' to a whole new level." Videl laughed grimly.

"That must really suck, you know…" Mark said, adopting Videl's solemn voice.

"What?" Her face perked, up slightly confused.

"Losing your memory like that… I can't even begin to think of how I—or anyone else that I know—could cope with it."

"Well, it's not that bad. It's only three years that I've lost. There are people that have no idea who they are, out there… I guess I'm one of the lucky ones."

"Still, you're ridiculously strong. You know that right?" Mark gave her an appreciating nod.

"Well, I'm not the daughter of the World Champ and a crime fighter for nothing, y'know?" She grinned at him, although she had a feeling he wasn't talking about physical strength.

"So anyways, you've got to get to school don't you?" He said, moving on towards another topic.

"Oh shit…" Videl sighed. She'd lost track of the time. "I'll have to talk to you later… Mark… I'm going to be late for school otherwise."

Without waiting for answer, Videl sprinted on ahead to school. It felt somewhat weird, ditching him like that. But it was needed after all; her watch now read eight twenty-five a.m.

…

Sharpner's eyes widened as he heard an all-too familiar voice ring out through the classroom.

'…  _It… can't be.'_

"Sorry I'm late, Miss." said a certain brunette who was standing by the open door, as she attempted to catch her breath. "I lost track of time in the morning…"

"… Videl?" Sharpner watched bemused as his English teacher dropped the papers within her hand, clearly shocked. "Is that you, honey?"

Sharpner, like many others had heard the rumours of Videl returning to school on Monday. However, he'd simply dismissed it as more paparazzi bullshit, as they seemed to milking whatever they could from the situation. He'd thought that his point was proven when she hadn't shown up when the bell rang for Tutor Period that morning; but clearly he was wrong.

Here was Videl, acting completely natural and as if she hadn't suddenly reappeared for the first time in a few months. Sure, being a close friend of Videl, Sharpner had seen her more than a few times within those few months. But that didn't mean it wasn't surprising to see her… in public.

"Y-yes, Miss…" Videl said, surely at a loss for words. Sharpner couldn't really blame her for it though; she probably couldn't recollect anything about their teacher.

"Leef," she supplied for her. Ms. Leef wasn't exactly an old teacher, she was relatively young and new; if Sharpner had to take a guess, he'd have placed her in her early twenties. She wasn't bad on the eyes, and was relatively nice. Definitely one of the better teachers he had.

"Why don't you take a seat?" She said, gesturing towards an empty seat somewhere off in the distance.

Videl hesitated for a moment, before Erasa raised her hand. "Why don't you come sit over here instead, Vi?"

Erasa gestured to the seat on the left of her, which was surprisingly empty. Sharpner almost blinked—he could've sworn that someone was there mere moments ago—before his eyes widened in understanding as he saw Gohan quietly take a seat off in the distance.

He didn't exactly understand why Gohan was avoiding her, but he couldn't really say that he cared all that much. If he wanted to keep his distance, Sharpner understood and respected that. Gohan was a nice kid – maybe he just hadn't known how to let her down easy. He was too nice for his own good sometimes.

In the corner of his mind however, Sharpner supposed that he knew that wasn't true. Gohan was too nice for his own good, but the kid knew what he was doing… Sharpner just wished he had the slightest fraction of a clue of what was running through the boy's head at the moment.

…

Erasa wasn't sure what she was meant to be feeling at the moment. It was great to see Videl back in school… she, herself, had no clue that her friend was returning to school today but something didn't feel right.

Not about Videl, it was more Gohan that she was concerned about. He was avoiding Videl, that much was certain; but she didn't really understand why. That day was—and always would be—a blur. Something had gone wrong, Gohan hadn't been there… Sharpner hadn't been there… she hadn't been there… nobody had been there for that matter.

Nobody had assumed that anything had been wrong; nobody had thought that anything would go wrong. They'd been very wrong… Reports had come in very quickly, Videl Satan; the amazing crime fighter had finally had her downfall. She was in hospital, in critical condition; rumours about her being dead even floated around.

Erasa remembered being very scared, and worried. She'd immediately called up Sharpner to gather his thoughts on the situation but he proved to be just as clueless as her about the whole ideal. They'd both attempted Videl's phone but she didn't pick up, only worrying them further.

Hercule was next, however his phone was frequently busy. She supposed that in that time she should've talked to Gohan, instead of fretting nervously over her friend as she waited for the hands on the clock to turn. She was meant to be a friend, and she hadn't really done her job and there were obvious marks on the boy now.

Even just a few months down the track, he wasn't the Gohan he once was. Granted, it wasn't necessarily because of the one incident, it had definitely done its damage. It was clearly visible to anyone who even half-knew the guy. Erasa could easily say that a couple of months ago he wouldn't have given his seat away… like that.

It would've been more like  _that_  Gohan, to offer his seat verbally as opposed to slipping away in the shadows as if he'd never been in it in the first place. Erasa really appreciated the gesture, as it meant she'd be able to sit next to Videl, and she was next-to sure that Videl needed a bit of guidance and comfort. She was no counsellor, but she was a friend which Videl knew. Surrounded in a classroom full of people which she had never met… Videl was tough, but getting to know everyone would be no easy task. Especially when, they all knew her. Not just knew her by name, but actually knew Videl. As in, they knew Videl herself, not what she was painted to be by the press.

Erasa and Sharpner were both very sceptical about the whole thing, and perhaps they were overdoing it; but there was no doubt in the both of their minds that there would be people who would try to manipulate Videl.

It was some kind of an unspoken agreement between the two of them; they'd first regain Videl's trust themselves (knowing Videl, she wouldn't trust too many immediately) and then slowly let those with good intentions get close to her. Videl was never one to have many friends, but she got on well enough with enough people.

Sighing, she turned towards Videl who had sat down next to her in the meanwhile. She was currently fumbling through a small backpack which Videl had brought to class, no doubt looking for the same textbook that was sprawled neatly across her desk.

Their teacher was still somewhat shocked, her mouth visibly agape at seeing the Satan girl show up out of the blue the way she had. However, she seemed to be regaining her slightly confounded composure. Ms. Leef wasn't exactly a bad teacher, nor was she particularly good. She was just… average.

Boring, you could say. She was your textbook teacher, she had no excellent teaching methods and she didn't bond overly well with all her students. She'd walk into class, teach her class, assign homework and leave. Granted, Erasa supposed that she was still relatively new to teaching.

Hoping that she wouldn't be interrupted, Erasa scooted over slightly closer to Videl, dragging her textbook along with her. A quick glance into Videl's brown bag told her that the girl hadn't brought the correct textbook, meaning that it was probably in her locker.

Erasa quickly tapped her friend on the shoulder, and gave a rushed explanation of the chapter which they were studying. She wasn't the smartest, Videl usually achieved higher grades than her, but Erasa supposed that it would have to make do for now.

It was a shame that Gohan was distancing himself the way he was – he was brilliant at explaining all this stuff.

…

Thankful that the bell had finally rung, Videl quickly escaped from the confines of the school. Students and teacher alike had been after her all day, asking never-ceasing questions. Some of the questions asked were… awkward… to say the least and some of them indicated that the person who asked it was genuinely concerned for her wellbeing.

It was probably somewhat rude of her, but Videl really couldn't care less. She didn't know these people, and most of these people didn't know her. Hell, she barely knew herself. She supposed that she appreciated their concern, but that's all they really were; concerned.

She wouldn't be half-surprised if every other person she would meet would express how sorry they were before simply continuing on with whatever they were doing before. It was typical, and she didn't really expect anything less. But for now, all she wanted was to get away from it all.

Her return had also spread like wildfire… it was everywhere. Quite, literally. And she'd been in school the entire time; she couldn't even bring herself to imagine what it would be like once the press discovered she had returned.

Well they probably had already, the entire school had known before lunchtime and she wouldn't be surprised if the entire city knew by nightfall. She kind of wished that they wouldn't make such a big deal about it – she was just a normal person after all.

She bowed her head as she ran along the street, hoping not be recognised. She guessed that it was kind of stupid; everyone who knew her knew that she wore the same outfit day-in and day-out but she hoped that it'd buy her a couple more seconds before she was recognised, or at least stop a few people from asking questions.

Ignoring the few loud cries of, "Hey! That's Videl Satan!" she ran faster. Videl almost absentmindedly wished that she had let Mark drive her to school in the morning, had she done that; he'd have probably been here at the moment and she'd be in the shelter of her father's car.

It didn't take all that long for her to get home, especially at the pace at which she had been running. It was funny; she still hadn't gotten quite used to her new body. Well, it wasn't exactly a  _new_  body, but it wasn't the way that she remembered it.

It wasn't quite as tall as she'd hoped it would, but it was still taller. It had taken a bit to get used to that, and then she had discovered the extra strength that she'd picked up. If she didn't know better, she would've said that she was stronger than her father. The punch she now packed – surpassed her wildest dreams; she'd never thought she'd ever have that kind of strength.

She'd been a tomboy as long as she could remember, and she'd almost felt disgusted at her elder self upon looking at her wardrobe. Sure, the outfits were mainly the same, but her keen eye had instantly picked up on a dress or two. Soon after though, Videl had realised that the chances were that it was Erasa's doing.

It was pretty funny, over three years; Erasa hadn't changed one bit. She was the exact same person, albeit with a different hairstyle. Sharpner, on the other hand had become a person she'd have never expected him to be.

He was  _nice_. Well, he was always nice, she supposed. But he was like the old Sharpner, minus the douchebag. From what she could tell, he wasn't all too interested in getting in her pants anymore.  _That_ , or he could mask it well.

He wasn't the cocky or overconfident dorky-jock she'd expected him to become. If she had to guess, she'd say that the boy had evolved from the almost-friend he was to something of a brother to her.

It was annoying really, not knowing who anyone was. Well, she knew who a few people were, but then again she only knew what they were like three years ago. They knew her, but she didn't know them.

She hated the thought that anyone could have a one-up on her, it made her feel weak and defenceless… certainly not a feeling which she was accustomed with, nor one which she would ever be comfortable with.

If there was any jackass who'd played a bad move in the last three years, with her. She wouldn't know. She could've been violated or abused, and she wouldn't even have a hint as to what had happened.

Naturally, she doubted anything as dramatic as that had happened. She had faith in her older self to have been able to protect herself and in her dad and friends to have told her if anything had happened.

Suddenly, Videl paused in the middle of the street. It wasn't that she was worried or that she had remembered anything important, she had realised that she had no idea where she was going. She had few choices, she could go home and study or train… or she could go to the local dojo or something, or she could go over to Erasa's.

Figuring that the latter sounded the most appealing, Videl reached into one of her short's few pockets and pulled out a mobile phone. It was the same one which she'd had three years ago, so she had no problems with navigating around the phone to call Erasa.

After a few rings, the blonde girl picked up and answered with a dull voice.  _'Hello?_ '

"Yeah… Erasa, are you doing anything at the moment?" Videl asked, attempting to fake laziness.

' _Nah, not much. I'm studying for that Chemistry exam on Friday, but I've still got a while.'_ Erasa yawned, clearly bored.

"Chemistry exam?" Videl's eyes widened in an un-appreciating manner. "Am I in your class?"

' _Yeah, wh—oh shit. I don't know if you remember Doctor Loi, but he's not really a nice guy.'_

"Don't think I've had him, but I remember the name. He's the guy who hands out detentions to whoever's outside the door when the bell rings, right?" Videl sighed, as she recollected an odd rumour or two which she remembered for some strange reason. It was kind of stupid, she could recall the name of a teacher she'd never had (until now) but nothing from the past three years.

' _Yea… I swear he's got anger issues or something. Anyway, he wasn't too happy when he found out that you'd be absent for a while. Not much he could do, but I wonder if he'll let you skip the test – or postpone it.'_

Videl almost snorted. Being the daughter of Hercule Satan had its perks, and if he was planning to give a test designed for those soon to graduate from high school to a mentally-fifteen year old; he had another thing coming. Chances were that he'd be too afraid to pull anything.

"Don't worry Erasa, I'm sure it'll be fine. I don't even know the material, it's not like he can actually test me?" Videl chuckled lightly.

' _Trust me; he's a lot worse than you'll probably remember. So what'd you want in the first place?"_

"Nothing much, I was just wondering if you were busy. Wanted someone to talk to and all, but I reckon I'll let you study." Videl said playfully, as she stuck out her tongue even though they weren't face-to-face.

' _That's perfect! Why don't you come over now, and we can have a study session in case he tries to pull anything on you!'_

"Uhh… Erasa, I only remember being fifteen. I'm as smart as I was when I was fifteen, I reckon I'll probably just slow you down or something." Videl sighed. It felt as if she was suddenly much more stupid than everyone else her  _age_.

' _Well you were always smarter than me, I'm sure you won't have that much of a problem catching up. And if not, nothing's wrong with a little role-reversal, right?'_  Erasa's playful voice rang throughout Videl's ears, as the blonde hung up. Maybe it'd be worth it, just in case.

And besides, she wanted to see just how smart the future-Erasa was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those who don't know what Tutor Period is, I'm not sure what the equivalent is in the rest of the world. But I do believe that it's home room in America or something to that effect.


	4. Chapter 4

How they got from studying to talking about boys, Videl would never know. What she did know was that Erasa had  _something_  for Sharpner. Frankly put, she couldn't blame the girl. He'd changed a lot over the past three years, in depths that Videl would never know.

It wasn't his physical body or something that had changed, that was almost the same. Except his hair had become a slightly darker shade of blonde from what Videl perceived, and that he had a few more well-defined muscles.

It was a much more psychological change… gone was the singlet wearing show-off of a jock, in his place; a very similar looking guy who wasn't even half as shallow as he was before. Quite frankly though, Videl wasn't interested; she hadn't been back then, she wasn't right now and she probably never would be. Thankfully, somewhere along the line in the past three years, he seemed to have taken the hint. Videl doubted she'd really be that interested in boys for a while, and Sharpner wasn't exactly her type.

Speaking of Sharpner… Videl realised that she'd soon have to take him up on the sparing match that he'd offered her once she was better. She wasn't exactly better, but rather better off. And hey, it'd be a perfect way to see if Sharpner had become any better.

Like most of the people that got to know her, he had approached her through Martial Arts. Needless to say, he'd gotten his ass handed to himself quite quickly, but he'd stuck around for some reason afterwards. Either to get to her father through her, to get his money, or to just have the bragging rights of having bedded Videl Satan in the future. Or maybe he just wanted his name in the newspapers and all that nonsense. The media loved stories about Cell's Vanquisher and his family.

Granted, they were only fourteen at the time. As surprising as it sounded, it wasn't all that absurd of a theory, if that's what his intentions had been; he was by no means the first and probably not the last.

It seemed that Videl had been wrong in all scenarios, though. It was remarkable… It brought the saying 'don't judge a book by its cover,' new meaning. And while Erasa hadn't changed from the bubbly blonde she was all those years ago, Videl suddenly realised something… she was more mature.

It wasn't overly obvious, more subliminal. She didn't squeal at everything quite as much, and she wasn't exactly pushing her to get a boyfriend, when the topic of boys came up. Videl was actually pretty damn near surprised that Erasa hadn't thought something was going on between her and Mark… Videl wouldn't have put it past Erasa to have assumed something stupid like that.

Then again, she'd seen the lust in Erasa's eyes as she ran her through Mark's basic defining features. It was entirely possible that she wanted Mark for herself or something… she wasn't sure where Sharpner was in that whole equation. But one thing was certain; Videl was dispelling herself from that entire… love triangle… or whatever it was, completely.

The night was still pretty young, it was only about 8 o'clock but Videl had figured that it was time to head back to her place. She didn't exactly plan to sleep over at Erasa's place, it was a school night; and with the amount of sleep or lack thereof that she'd had last night, she didn't exactly want to stay up all night talking.

They hadn't done all that much work on Chemistry, but what they had done… the textbook did a better job of explaining it than Erasa. Although on more than a few occasions, the textbook hadn't helped; that's where Erasa had come into play. She wasn't sure if she'd have to sit the test, but she was going to find out tomorrow for sure. She had Mr. Loi or whoever he was tomorrow for Chemistry, anyway.

Walking along lazily, Videl yawned pondering upon the other ways in which her memory issue was sure to screw her over. Not many were plausible, and she sure had a vivid imagination but she was sure that she hadn't missed anything.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Videl spotted a plume of smoke rising in the distance.

' _Odd… The Force usually calls me if this stuff happens.'_  Videl thought, figuring that it was one of the rare occasions where she got to the crime scene first.

Running, into action, Videl ran towards the source of the smoke in full gear. Knowing that there was no way that she could take out – if her suspicions were true – a fire, by herself; Videl quickly tapped an alert button on the side of her video phone.

It was designed pretty well, hidden to the average eye and finger-print sensitive. Videl supposed that it was because the police didn't want just anybody to have the power to give off an alert like that. The Chief had a similar Video phone, which would immediately start beeping and would give him her location immediately. It ran off satellite, so she'd be able to rely on it almost anywhere, and it's most valuable function was perhaps that it granted her an almost-instant hotline to the Chief.

In a big city like Satan City, that was a very valuable thing. Even her father, a very influential and powerful man didn't have access to communication with the Chief like that. But then again, he'd probably just have to ask for it and he'd get it just like that.

Nearing the smoke, Videl was surprised when she found that the Chief hadn't answered… not even his deputy… odd. Paying it no mind – she didn't have the time – Videl, ran even closer to the smoke.

She had expected to see a fire, which was well out of control. Not one which was being doused out by several fire brigades. She was even more taken aback when she saw the police there.

Not only were the Police Force and the Fire Brigade on the case, but they hadn't alerted her. That was a bit strange, she'd normally at least get some kind of a message telling her that a fire had been averted at the least.

Figuring that it was nothing but perhaps quick timing, or that something was wrong with her watch Videl approached the commanding officer. He wasn't the Chief, Videl knew that, but she'd seen him around enough. He was wearing a different – but still police – uniform so Videl assumed that he'd been promoted.

"Seems like arson," He remarked to the officer, with a shake of his head.

"Any suspects?" The other officer asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Well I'd guess that this is Suspect K and his gang's work… We'll have to salvage what we can from the inside and search for clues. They're not one to leave evidence behind, but his gang's not always the brightest bunch."

"Who's Suspect K?" Videl asked, interrupting the two and tapping her foot impatiently as the two looked at each other nervously for answers.

"I'm afraid… I can't answer that Videl," the commanding officer said, a slight look of regret upon his face.

"Why not?" She questioned, not liking the situation one bit.

"Well… how do I put this… you're no longer apart of the Force."

…

"You selfish, arrogant, good-for-nothing prick!"

"Videl… honey… please try to understand. You're starting school again, and the pressure's going to be too much for you to deal with. At least until you get back into the swing of things," Hercule said wincing.

"How could you? I told you I didn't want to be taken off! And what do you do? You go and take me off the damn Force!" Videl yelled, she was past the point of talking. She thought that her father had changed and then he decided to pull this… trick.

"It's what's best for you-"

"You don't know what's best for me, and you should stop pretending I'm five years old dad!" Videl interjected, thoroughly pissed off. He just took things too far.

"Look… sweetie. I've already lost my wife, and I've already lost a bit of you… I can't risk it. I just can't, not until I'm sure you'll be safe."

"I don't give a damn! Don't you understand? All I had left was the Force! It's the only thing which hadn't changed… You, Erasa, Sharpner… everyone I knew. You're not the same!"

"Videl, people change… everyday they're different…"

"No… no… no! They don't and you're even more of an ass then before!" Videl slammed the door to the gym and walked out, fuming.

Things had been going well for her, she hadn't been all that close to recovering the years lost to her; but things were working out fine. Now… what was the point?

Even if she did find her 'other self,' she'd never be able to be her. Hell, she wouldn't be able to herself, full stop. She was Videl Satan, Satan City's  _crime fighter_. The only one that was still in high school for that matter.

Now who was she? No-one, just another rich snob's daughter. Without her role on the Police Force she wasn't Videl Satan, she was Hercule's daughter. It was unfair.

She'd never tried to be one who was upset about the cards that she was dealt; she'd been given a pretty good pair with her father being a future billionaire and all that, but this was pushing it. Losing the last three years of her life was bad… but it could've been worse. Losing her spot on the force – everything she'd worked towards for as long as she could remember – was a bit too far.

She couldn't really think of ways in which this could get any worse. At this point, she'd have normally gone into their indoor-gym and beaten a punching bag for a while; but her father was in there and she really didn't feel like beating the stuffing out of a motionless bag for hours on end.

What was the point anyway? She was just Hercule Satan's weak little daughter. No… she didn't need to exhaust herself physically, she needed to get in touch with her emotions.

Puberty… well she never really expected to have woken up and found that the process was almost complete. Almost complete as it may be, it hadn't done anything to quell the thumping in Videl's heart… the raging fury that accompanied it and the urge to sit down and cry for as long as she could.

There was really only one person who could really help her in this situation… Videl tried not to go there very often, viewing it as something akin to a sanctuary. Perhaps it was, but whatever the case, Videl needed to go there at the moment.

Maybe she was wrong… the Force hadn't changed much, but it was sure to have changed a bit. If the place that she intended to go to had changed though, she would go berserk. No-one would have the audacity to touch anything around there, including both herself and her father.

Finding the door to the room that she wanted to enter, Videl quickly gave the door a quick inspection. Satisfied that it hadn't changed in the slightest, Videl gently turned the door-knob of the room.

It was a special door-knob, the only one in the house that didn't reek of luxury. Her mum would have never wanted it that way.

Poking her head through the door and looking slightly into the room, Videl let out a relieved sigh as she found that the room was relatively untouched. Several stacks of photo albums, some that she instantly recognised, some which were probably new, littered the room.

However that wasn't what interested Videl, it was the little memorial in the far right corner of the room. It wasn't lit up at all, the room didn't have any electricity in it for that matter… it was dark… but familiar.

Shedding a slight tear, Videl took off her boots before she walked into the room. They were still somewhat dirty from earlier in the day… night… she couldn't even remember what it was anymore. Regardless, Videl wasn't about to ruin such a treasured place.

As she walked towards the memorial, Videl noticed dust—even in the dark—littering several of the stacked photo albums. Finally having approached the unlit-stand which contained several upstanding-framed photos, Videl picked up the box of matches sitting on the edge of the table.

Unsurprisingly, she found that it was also covered in dust. Taking off her fingerless-gloves and mentally chastising herself for not taking them off before she entered the room, Videl quickly wiped the box down with them before carefully letting them slowly free-fall to the carpeted-ground.

Sliding open the cardboard box, she found not one but several matches. Her memory of the place was cloudy, it was rare for her to come here once ever half a year, but it was evident that it hadn't been touched in a long time.

Gently picking one up with her fingers, she swiftly struck it against the side of the box and moved the now-lit match towards the white wax-candle standing in the middle of the table; causing the wick to ignite.

Her cerulean-blue eyes sparkled as they reflected the light of the small flame for the briefest of moments as she looked at the several framed pictures on the table. The numerous pictures of her mother almost made her feel like she was looking into strange mirrors… If not for the obvious aged features of her mother, and the fact that her hair was a lot longer and in a single pony-tail as opposed to two pig-tails.

However, one thing in particular caught her eye. A small framed picture… no a drawing. It contained two hand-prints, one of an average size and the other far-smaller.

" _Mummy, look what I can do!" A small girl exclaimed, pouring purple paint onto the entirety of her miniscule hand and pressing it onto the parchment-style paper. "Haha, see mummy, I'm an artist."_

" _That's right sweetie, that's a wonderful painting! We can both be artists," a much older woman smiled as she imitated the actions of the young child, printing her larger hand onto the paper next to the smaller one._

Videl pressed her right hand gently on top of the glass protecting the smaller hand-print. Comparing it, Videl sighed somewhat sadly… it wasn't as small, and it would never be once again. Moving onto the right one, Videl gently touched the glass finding the fit to be almost perfect.

Her hand was still a little smaller than that of her mother's, but it was a lot larger than the last time she had compared their hands. Videl could barely remember when that had been, and wouldn't have had a clue as to how big hers had been last time if not for the lack of dust on certain portions of the framed picture.

Sighing, Videl walked away from the memorial as she looked for a photo album. Sometimes she liked to just sit by her mum's little memorial and look through photos of them. It was almost like she was looking through them with her again. She wasn't looking for one in particular, just something… preferably with the two or perhaps the three of them in it. The flickering flame provided nice illumination for the small stand in memory of her mother, but it did little to light the albums; so she couldn't read the names or the dates.

Picking one up at random, Videl took it back towards her mother's illuminated stand and sat down. Crossing her legs, Videl put it on top of them and opened it to a random page, subconsciously brushing her hair as she did so.

There was a reason that Videl had never cut her hair… her mother had always had long hair, which was why it was odd to see a photo of her staring back at her with warm, blue eyes that were almost glowing because of the light that lingering flame was emanating. However that wasn't what caught her attention… it was the short, haphazardly cut hair above her eyes.

…

Things hadn't been going all too well on his end, but by the looks of it; things weren't all nice and dandy for Videl either. She had come into Maths with a tear-streaked, puffy face, evidently having cried earlier in the day. Maths was his first period of the day, meaning something had happened earlier before she left the house or while she was coming to school.

As much as he'd wanted to approach her, he'd found himself unable to. Almost stuck to his seat in the back of the classroom – he sat there with every class that didn't have Erasa or Sharpner in it these days - he watched as she tried to swallow whatever was hurting her up, and go on with the lesson.

He knew her body language well, and it had been shaking. Not of anger… but of grief and sadness. He should've taken the hint when he saw that she wasn't wearing her normal clothes, rather a pair of jeans and a black shirt.

It had been a long, long while into the time that he'd known her before she decided to change up her clothes. She still generally preferred the outfit she wore almost every day for its practicality, it was decent to wear casually and almost perfect for fighting; he knew that much.

But he'd have never thought that if she'd been taken off the Police Force, she'd opt to wear something else. Perhaps her fifteen year old self had a different mindset or something, but he'd have thought that she'd stick with it anyway. He hadn't expected her to have been taken off the Police Force for that matter anyway.

He wasn't into gossip or whatever it was that amused Erasa so endlessly, but he'd found out soon enough. Later, in Biology, they'd been doing a dissection; an all-time favourite of Gohan's because it was the one thing that he was never able to do with his mum's homes schooling, and Gohan hadn't suspected much was out of place when Sharpner approached him to partner up.

They were on better than relatively good terms, but they were a little lower on the friendship scale than best friends. However it wasn't like they partnered up all that often, Sharpner had a few friends that would all ways go for him first and Gohan was often stuck with trying to partner up with whoever didn't have a partner.

So it was a bit out of the blue when Sharpner asked him to partner up, but he didn't think too much of it. He'd absentmindedly considered mentioning Videl's condition at the start of last period to him, but the blond boy beat him to the punch. Her father had taken her off the Force… it was as simple as that.

He didn't talk about much other than that, and they both just carried on with dissecting the frog as if nothing had happened. Gohan wasn't sure what he was meant to make of it, or what Sharpner wanted him to do with that knowledge… but Gohan supposed that he just wanted to keep him well informed.

He'd taken to focusing carefully on analysing Videl's Ki during English from the back of the class. He could sense that it was disturbed; probably something to do with the test which she was being forced to sit… Erasa had mentioned something about that before Videl walked in, apparently having run to beat the Satan girl to the class and have a chat with him.

Looking closer, he discovered that the Ki wasn't grieving. It was sad… uncertain and somewhat anxious. Depressed would be a better word, although he still wasn't sure if it was entirely fitting. Whatever the case, it was definitely negative.

He was almost irritated with Erasa for not doing anything to cheer her up, before he realised that the chances of cheering her up before the end of the day were almost non-existent. If Videl was sad, she was sad for the entire day, if not longer.

It was one of the many things he had learned about her. It was probably borderline-stalking at this point, but he just wanted to make sure everything was going… alright; so he soon found himself listening in with keen ears on what Erasa and Videl were talking about.

Videl was very worried. Not really that much about her removal from the Force, from what he could gather, but more about the safety of those who lived within Satan City. And Gohan had to agree, during his somewhat short-lived crime-fighting career, he'd found that criminals were abundant.

The Police Force couldn't handle them all, that much was certain. Rocket Launchers… Machine Guns… Planes… Busses, the police weren't superhuman. Saiyaman wasn't even entirely human, but Videl on the other hand was pretty damn near.

For the first time in a few months, Gohan found his heart reaching out towards the innocent and defenceless citizens of Satan City.

…

Sirens echoed loudly throughout the dark, somewhat-unlit tunnel as police vehicles gave pursuit to several more numerous and larger black vehicles.

It was one of the longest tunnels within Satan city, going on for at least a kilometre, if not two, and because of this, it was almost impossible to block off. It wasn't hard to block off either end, but it was impossible to get all the civilians out of said tunnel in time.

Locking them in with robbers, potential terrorists and murders was not a great idea. Especially if one of them decided to take the entire tunnel down with them; after all each vehicle had the fire power to do it.

The police were almost reminded of that as a police car which got too close to the group of escaping cars was blown to shreds by several rockets which were launched at it. A large explosion almost shook the entire tunnel, as another car was destroyed as it found itself engulfed in the flames of the explosions.

Manoeuvring carefully around several civilian cars and flying debris which was sent his way, a long-time veteran of the Police Force followed the escapists. His siren was off, so as to not attract attention however its location was being tracked by those in the Police Headquarters to give rough estimate of where the escaping gang was.

Entering a much better-lit portion of the tunnel, the veteran gave a few words of advice to the rookie next to him. "This is what separates boys from men; you've got to play it smart. Use your head, and be courageous. If you screw it up here, you're turned into smithereens."

The rookie only looked ahead at the gang, fear almost leaking off his shaking body.

Perhaps, they had made a wrong move or two, because a rocket was approaching the pair of them at nigh-impossible speeds. Suddenly, even the veteran found himself rigid with fear.

The tunnel's lights died off for the briefest of moments, as the approaching rocket was replaced by a red object. The veteran's face slowly morphed into a smirk as he recognised the fluttering—albeit torn—red object in front of him.

It was a cape, a very familiar one at that, and it was attached to the back of a rather tall person's back. A familiar tall person's back. Adorning his heady, was an orange-and partially black helmet that he hadn't seen in ages and looking closely he saw a bright-green tunic-like article of clothing behind the cape.

Maybe it was by pure chance, maybe it wasn't. But for the moment all that mattered was that, arguably the greatest hero Satan City had ever seen had reappeared… in all his glory, hovering before them for the first time in years.

Nobody had seen where he'd gone. At first he'd missed a few crimes, nothing out of the ordinary. Then a few quickly became a lot and suddenly he was nowhere to be seen. He'd vanished off the face of the Earth the very way that he came; without a trace.

It was almost frightening for some of them, but he'd paid it no mind. The police veteran had always been fine without him, so what did it matter if he decided crime fighting wasn't for him? Apparently, the veteran's life…

However, he'd reappeared. With no warning, completely out of the blue and perhaps when they needed him the most. What better way to make up for the loss of an amazing crime fighter than to have an old one return?

"Boy, you're in for a show tonight, son." The veteran's eyes sparkled with renewed passion and hope as he spoke to the rookie.

…


	5. Chapter 5

Videl sighed for the thousandth time that week. It had been nothing but trouble so far; catching up with all her classes, non-stop fights with her father and attempting to cope with life without being on the Force.

To say that she was having trouble with her classes was an understatement. It was ridiculously hard… being thrown into work that was three years ahead of what you last remembered studying. Some teachers didn't even cut her any slack; in particular her Chemistry teacher. She'd been struggling with the subject, and the teacher was more than glad to mark her down.

Some people took teaching too seriously. He hadn't even offered her some kind of tutoring or catch up program, nor had she been offered any explanation of what they were doing. Maybe it was a bit selfish of her, but didn't she deserve that at least?

According to Dr. Loi; no. From what she'd seen of the man; he'd probably think of it as unfair to all his other 'students.' Erasa had tried to help her through, but things were looking bleak for her upcoming test.

Truth be told, she'd be happy if she just passed it. 50% wasn't really all that much to be proud of, and she'd always strived to achieve at  _least_  above 70%; but it would do. It would probably be a black mark amongst her grades and all; considering that it was her final year at high school.

But Chemistry wasn't the only subject she'd been struggling with; Maths had been no blessing to her either. Numerous formulas which she didn't remember weren't the least of her problems; she couldn't understand half the symbols either.

Her Maths teacher was nice enough, and he'd tried to help her out. But in a class as big as theirs was, there wasn't all that much that he could do. It wasn't like he could completely ignore the others that needed his help, and Videl needed help with the far more basic things. He'd veered off the course for the entirety of one lesson to help her, and almost did so for the other two that they'd had so far.

But frustration was clearly evident upon his face… he was getting sick of it. Videl resolved to try and find a tutor, but to do so she'd have to get help from her dad. And at the moment that was the last thing she wanted to do.

And soon, she found himself within Maths again; struggling to get even the basics of the lesson down.

"Alright… Videl, why don't you move over and sit next to Gohan? He's an excellent student who excels in every aspect of Maths, and you two used to sit together all the time anyway." She was a bit ashamed that she couldn't manage to recall their teacher's name.

For some reason to name Gohan rang a bell… he was that… new kid that Erasa had told him about. Well, he wasn't really new anymore; but he was the guy that she'd met in the Sushi Bar. Nodding, she struggled to recollect the boy's features as she scanned the numerous faces in the room.

Many of them new, and many of them old, she eventually managed to pick out the face. There was no mistaking it; he looked almost the same; except that his eyes were large and staring at the wall, an unbelieving look upon his face.

She had no clue what that was for… he'd seemed normal enough around her when they'd met briefly at the Sushi Bar. But she really didn't have the time or the interest to pay it any mind.

Moving towards him, Videl took the now-empty seat next to him (the person in it had moved to another vacant seat somewhere off in the distance).

"So… fancy meeting you around again?" She whispered as their Maths teacher continued teaching the lesson.

"Y-yeah. Didn't expect to see you back at school so soon." He stuttered slightly before finishing coolly.

"Me neither, but it was either this or repeat the year." Videl sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. She hadn't even really done the year, or the two before.

"So what do you need help with?" He changed the topic quickly and somewhat awkwardly. His speech pattern wasn't too dissimilar from what she could remember of the Sushi Bar.

"Uhh quadratic equations. I don't get how you're meant to complete the square…"

…

Things had gone relatively simply after that, she'd been able to understand things a little better; but nothing else. They'd sat in silence like the rest of the class, and done their work. Then she'd had a few other classes, where nothing really happened before going home early.

One of the perks of being in her final year was that she had Study Periods, or Spare Periods, where she could do whatever she pleased. Go off campus, stay on-site and study or perhaps just sleep on the couches in the school library. It served various purposes, from allowing students extra study time when they needed it, to giving them a chance to catch their breath or even the chance to go out with a few friends in time they otherwise wouldn't have.

With Videl in the situation that she was, most would have assumed that she'd it studying for the test she had the next day. However since her Spare Period was her last period for that day, she figured that it would be best if she headed home.

She was quite eager to wrap the day up, and get some sleep. She was almost positive that she'd end up waking up at some time later in the day, so she could study then.

For some reason, she found it easier to do things in the dead of night as opposed to at four o'clock in the afternoon. Walking outside, she wasn't surprised to see Mark there in her car; having called him to pick her up a mere twenty minutes prior.

She didn't want to walk today, for some reason she just felt too damn exhausted.

"So how was school?" He asked, jokingly. "Did you make any new friends?"

Deciding to humour him, she rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue good-naturedly. "As a matter of fact, I did."

"Oh really, now?" He asked his eyebrows rising.

"Yeah… this kid called Gohan that I met a couple days ago. He's helping me with my Maths." She said, dropping the joke.

"Well, then I guess that can only be a good thing. So have you been having any other luck with your other subjects?"

"Apart from Maths, my Chemistry teacher's an asshole. I don't even get half the stuff he talks about, and won't even bother to help."

"Ouch," Mark winced, brushing his short brown-hair across his face. "That must suck. Never took Chemistry myself, good old Physics. We had this hot red-haired chick as our teacher, so as you can imagine none of us really ever paid that much attention. Not like we needed to, it wasn't even that hard."

"Heh, I don't even know why I took Chemistry. Maybe I wanted to become a scientist or something," Videl said in a dazed voice, half-joking and half-serious.

"Well, you've got to take one of the sciences, don't you? Everyone does it, and people who take Biology say it's crazy hard."

"Not to mention that I've never liked doing dissections. Cutting something up for research… it just isn't for me," Videl sighed as she tapped the side of the car absentmindedly.

"What? You're able to beat crazy criminals to within an inch of their lives, but you're afraid to cut open the inside of a frog?" Mark questioned with a small grin upon his face.

"Not anymore anyways," she said looking out the window. "And besides… it's just different. Frog intestines are gross anyway."

…

Gohan let out a sigh of frustration. His stupid Maths teacher had sat Videl next to him. Things had been going well with keeping his distance… until that.

There wasn't much he could do about it supposed. Just keep his distance to the end of the year, help her with her Maths problems and hightail it out of there. And besides, he had other things to worry about.

Saiyaman, for example. He'd let the caped crusader make his return on some sort of a whim. That night, it had been a blur, but it had been a good blur. He felt… like himself again. It felt good to help everyone out, just like he used to.

With Videl no longer able to save the day, Saiyaman would be keeping the streets safe, at least until she made her return. There were various things that he had to do… First off he needed to get the damn costume repaired.

The clothing was torn, dirtied and old. Old, in that he had somehow managed outgrow it over the years. He'd returned, saved a few lives or two, beaten the bad guys and left… not many saw him, and most of those that did were police.

He wasn't sure how eager they would be to tell everyone and anyone about his return, but he needed to make sure that he wasn't showing up to save the mayor in rags. It wasn't exactly a top priority, but he needed to do that. Speaking of what had gone on that night… he needed to find out who had died somehow. They had died because he hadn't been fast enough… it wasn't good enough, they deserved a second chance.

How many times had people died because he hadn't been there? Because he didn't do something when he could? When he was too selfish to step in himself? What had he been doing…? Letting innocent people die, it seemed. He'd bring them back, despite how unfair it would be to all those that weren't brought back, because that's something he could have truly prevented. It was the least he could do.

Sighing, he walked towards his locker and dumped his books in it after unlocking it. Before packing his bag with the homework that he had to do, he reached into the far-right bottom corner of his locker and with a subtle look of satisfaction on his face, pulled out a scratched and damaged watch. Evidently, the clothes weren't the only things that were damaged. Until a couple of nights ago, it had been buried deep within his locker, hidden by cascades upon cascades of books.

His locker wasn't the neatest thing by any means. With a mum who jumped when she saw a speck of dirt out of place, it felt good to have something that was his. Something small, locked up far away from his mum. He could keep whatever he wanted in there, and keep it however he wanted. Fingering the button on the watch, Gohan inspected it. It was cracked in more than one place, and quite frankly; he was surprised that it was still holding together.

He just hoped that Bulma would be able to work her magic on all of it. It would be really… unfortunate… if nothing could be done. That would be horrible, he'd have to get his mum to repair the clothes and attempt to try and repair the watch himself. His mum would probably get over Saiyaman returning pretty soon, but he wanted to avoid the topic altogether. He was almost positive that she'd start with her teasing again. Repairing his watch wouldn't have been all that complicated, if it was a normal watch. He was too scared that he'd muck something up that would leave him in his underwear instead of his Saiyaman costume.

Taking his bag out of his locker, he lazily slung it over his shoulder and slammed his locker door shut. Reaching into his left pocket, Gohan grasped a single capsule and stared at it… a wondering look upon his face.

Exhaling slightly, he dropped it back into his pocket… he didn't feel like driving today. Making sure to take a quick glance around him, Gohan checked that no-one was looking at him before proceeding towards the roof. He hadn't gone up there in a long time, but it felt as if something was calling him up there.

He didn't know why and he didn't exactly care why, but he figured a breath of fresh air could do him wonders.

Almost at the top of the stairs now, he quickly glanced at his clock. It was around about four o'clock, meaning that it wouldn't be too early to drop in. Hopefully Bulma would be free… if not he'd probably have to wait.

It was funny; he didn't know all too many people at Capsule Corp. It wasn't exactly a home-away -from-home, but he'd been there often enough. The amount of people he knew from even just that side of West City could be counted on a single hand.

Opening the small door atop the stairs, Gohan quickly took in some of the fresh air. Walking towards the edge of the roof, he briefly looked down upon the busy city. It wasn't even peak-hour, but the streets were still crowded with people and different vehicles.

"Thought I'd catch you up here," Gohan's head instantly snapped up as he turned around the face the voice.

"Erasa…" Gohan muttered, recognising his friend almost immediately. "What are you doing up here?"

"Nothing much, I just wanted to hear if the rumours and all were true." She said brushing her nearing shoulder-length hair, absentmindedly. Her slightly longer hair was one of the many hairstyles which he'd seen on the girl in the time that he'd known her.

"Rumours?" Gohan asked questioningly, his eyes perking up slightly.

"Yeah… Saiyaman and all, y'know. And I also wanted to talk to you; I mean it feels like it's been forever! You literally haven't said a word to me since Monday!" She said, sighing somewhat.

"Now, that's not true. There was that one time in English on Wednesday…" Gohan trailed off, smiling ever so slightly.

"I swear Gohan… you're hopeless!" Erasa exclaimed, comically throwing both her hands up into the air. They both shared a small chuckle, before Erasa continued. "So anyways… where's Satan City's superhero off to now?"

"How'd you find out about that anyway?" Gohan asked, rubbing the back of his head lightly.

"I have my ways, Gohan… I have my way- hey! Don't try and move off the topic!"

"Well, I'm headed off to Bulma's." Gohan said, glancing off into the direction that West-City was. "I need to get the costume repaired and all, it's a bit damaged."

"Ooh, I've been there before. Mind if I tag along, and maybe meet her again?" Erasa asked hopefully, pouting for good measure.

"Well… I don't see why not," Gohan laughed nervously. Actually he could… when Trunks was concerned anything was possible. That went double, for when Goten was there and on occasion; triple if Vegeta was involved.

"Great. So how does this flying thing work? I just hop onto your back, right?" Erasa said, clearly over-eager to experience flight.

"Well, we're not exactly flying…"

"What do you mean? Aren't you going to turn into Saiyaman and fly over there, or something?"

Gohan flashed her a knowing smile, before looking towards the clouds. "Nimbus!" He called with a confident voice.

…

"Fix it? Kiddo, you're underestimating me again. I reckon I can do a little more than patch up this whole hunk of junk… in fact, I could give you a whole new costume." Bulma said, fingering the damaged watch.

"No thanks, Bulma. It'd be fine if you could just make the watch look a little better and repair the costume…" said Gohan, stifling a small yawn.

"Alrighty, but don't be surprised if you see a little upgrade or two." Bulma flashed him a quick smile before saying. "Now, why don't you show this young lady around?" She gestured towards Erasa who was sitting on a rather expensive looking couch, doing something on her phone.

"Will do, and I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Bulma." Gohan nodded appreciativel, as Bulma walked off.

"So… you said you've been here before?" He asked, turning towards Erasa.

"Yeah, I came over with Videl that one time. Mrs. Briefs showed me around the science labs and everything. It was pretty cool; I got to see a few products that they were testing." She said, offering him a smile as she looked up to face him. "So don't worry about giving me a tour or anything. Vi told me something pretty interesting though," she said motioning quickly towards the phone in her hand.

"She did?" Gohan asked; half-curious, half-uncaring. It really wasn't any of his concern anymore.

"Yeah! Why didn't you tell me that she's sitting next to you in Maths now?" Gohan winced as the bubbly blonde squealed.

"Probably because you would've ended up telling the whole school or something…" He muttered quietly, smiling innocently as her eyes bore into his. "How about I make it up to you, and show you something you haven't seen before? I mean, we might as well, since Bulma will probably be a while and all."

Gohan watched bemused as she nodded eagerly, pocketing her phone and standing up to follow him. Glad to have moved away from the topic that they were discussing earlier, Gohan lead the way.

It was a pretty short work to where they wanted to go; the science labs were always close to the gravity room. Gohan snickered a little as he realised that was probably because Vegeta probably managed to break something in it, so often.

Instead of going in, Gohan quickly checked the Ki of the room before stopping abruptly and walking into the room next to it. It was just as he suspected…

Swinging the door to the observation room open, Gohan let Erasa pass him. It wasn't anything special; a one-way viewing wall into the Gravity room that Bulma had built for some reason. It was just something that made the thing more practical for things like spars as opposed to simple workouts, as there could be spectators.

He was sure that both Goten and Trunks often found themselves stuck in the observation room anyway, to keep them from annoying Vegeta and all.

"So what exactly is this place?" Erasa asked, tapping the almost glass-like wall with her finger.

"That's called the gravity room. It's a special room that allows you to amplify the gravity within it, so you can train a little harder. It works wonders for when you get out though, if you can get used to moving normally in two-times the Earth's gravity; you're much faster when you revert to the Earth's actual gravity." Gohan said sheepishly, wondering how much of that would pass over his friend's head.

"That sounds pretty cool," Erasa said, approvingly. "So who are the two guys in there?"

"That's Bulma's… husband… and son. Her husband's probably stronger than me, while her son's still got a little more work to do." Gohan said, eying the two work-out. The gravity was probably at some ridiculously high level; Trunks was in Super Saiyan form and struggling to stand while Vegeta was having problems walking in his base form.

"You know…" Erasa began, as Trunks decided to fire a Ki-blast for some reason. "Magic clouds … flying… gigantic blasts… I think I'll just stick to using a car to get around."

They both shared a short laugh, before Gohan decided to head out of the room, Erasa in tow. Chances were, Bulma was about done by now and if not; she wouldn't be much longer.

"So I guess you can't avoid Videl all that much, anymore, Gohan?" Erasa said, trying to strike conversation as they walked.

"I guess, but I'm still going to keep my distance... It'll be better for the both of us, that way." said Gohan, a mellow look on his face.

"If you say so," Erasa sighed.

…

"Here you go," Bulma said, handing Gohan an un-familiar watch. He didn't recognise it at all… it was nothing as simple as his previous one… it was much bigger and bulkier too. It also had a much larger and obviously higher-quality screen.

"The watch is a special little thing, while designed to look like a regular one… It's a videophone; so that means you can talk face-to-face with others who have a similar one or you can use it as a good old fashioned phone and talk with your voice only. Now, since your little crime fighting buddy won't be running out every time there's a robbery, I managed to hack into the police's database. Every time an alert within your vicinity goes out, you'll be notified with a little vibration." Bulma smiled.

"Sounds good so far… but doesn't that mean my watch will go crazy with notifications, on occasion? I mean a lot of vibrations could sure get annoying."

"Nah, once again, you've underestimated my genius. There's a do-not-disturb setting, I'll get to that later. Anyways, that's as far as the watch goes. As far as the other changes go; we've still got a while."

"A while?" Gohan repeated intrigued, "without changing the actual design what could you have possibly done?"

Bulma grinned. "Why don't you try it out?" She said, tapping the button on the edge of the watch.

Deciding that not much harm could be done, Gohan pressed it and was unsurprised to see his clothes replace themselves with that of his newly-returned alter-ego.

"You probably won't notice that much is different straight away, other than that I fixed the costume. The changes that I made were more or less related to your helmet."

Petrified, Gohan turned to Bulma and stared at her through his fully black-tinted visor. "It's not pink or something is it?" For some odd reason, Gohan could just see the headlines in the paper now…

"Haha, I'd never pull something like that on you kiddo," Bulma laughed. "But you'll notice that those antennae are gone, they were pesky little things; but I managed to get rid of them."

Walking towards him, Bulma tapped a button on the side of his helmet. "It's not all that convenient to access, but tapping this will activate a little something I like to call scouter-vision. It's basically a type of x-ray vision which allows you to  _see_  Ki signatures, and then receive the specifics of the Ki you're focussing on. Its top-notch technology and I got Krillin over to help me out with it, but don't go playing with it while you're fighting Vegeta or someone. God knows, your Super Saiyan forms would fry it; its limit's about that of what your uncle's one had when he first paid the Earth a visit."

"So you mean this scouter's only good for measuring power level's up to about 10,000?" asked Gohan.

"Yeah, unfortunately. But hey, a little while ago even your father couldn't reach that kind of power, so I doubt any pesky robbers will manage to do the same. I'll let you know if I manage to get any further with it, though."

"Cheers," Gohan said, stretching his arms.

"Wait, so what would my power level be?" Erasa interjected, having been quiet for a while previously.

"Uhh… I'd guess something like five, or maybe ten?" Gohan scratched the back of his head. It was as obvious lie to anyone who knew a thing about power levels; Erasa's would be much closer to two.

"Wow… so you are really that much stronger than us all, Gohan?" Erasa said, a slight amount of awe detectable within her voice.

"I guess so," Gohan yawned. He was getting tired, even though it was barely six o'clock.

"Anyways, back on topic. You can also intercept police calls, and all that good stuff. I guess you're essentially an undercover cop with a bigger gun than the rest." Bulma said shrugging slightly.

"An undercover cop? Except the police have no idea that they can call on me…" Gohan muttered.

"Something like that anyway, except knowing you; you'd probably end up responding faster than the police."

…


	6. Chapter 6

Videl clutched the piece of paper to her chest as her father's eyes lingered across her own. "... Dad? Are you alright?"

"I tried my very best..." Hercule muttered, a strange tone to his voice. "... Videl, honey? Do you understand why I took you off the Force now?"

"You still didn't need to do that Dad!" Videl fired back ferociously, "you know what it meant to me!"

"Look, I need to make sure that you'll be alright... if anything happened to me. The force is a dangerous place, sweetie. I know you can handle it, but it's not what you need right now. Especially when you're not managing to cope in school... I wouldn't have minded if you didn't have those memory problems of yours, and since you chose to not repeat the year later... well, your Science results speak for themselves, sweet pea." Hercule winced, as Videl realised that his words came out a little harsher than he had intended them to, but that realisation did nothing to take the sting out of them.

Fifty-three percent... it was certainly going to be one humongous black spot in her final year. She'd really tried, but there was only so much that she could do with such an uncooperative teacher. Perhaps her father was right, maybe she should've just waited till next year?

Sighing, Videl quickly realised that it was far too late now and that there was no backing down. And besides, she wanted to stick with Sharpner and Erasa... it'd be cruel to them if she abandoned them after everything they'd together, over some Science test that didn't work out... that and she'd only be making things harder on herself. Even still... while her father may have had a point, it didn't justify his actions.

"Dad..." She massaged her temples, "I love being on the Force almost as much as I love being Videl Satan. The Force is a part of me as much as I am a part of it... you didn't have to take me off it, you know!" Almost suddenly, she snapped.

"We could've worked through it together, and maybe after a week or two we could've both had what we wanted dad... so... why? Didn't you think of all the civilians who need my help before you went of making rash decisions? Who's going to save them now?" Her voice steadily dropped to a whisper as she glared at her father.

"Look... sweetie, I know you like to help people and I don't have any problems with that. But when that starts to interfere with your life, your career and most importantly: your future... that's when I start to have a problem. And as for all the innocent people, the police should be able to do a fine job of saving them... and if not, there's that Saiyaman person." He attempted to be diplomatic with her, but Videl still had no intention to grant him that right.

"I don't care about that Saiyaman guy! They need me, dad! And I'll be fine, I just needed to get up to speed with things... you didn't need to take me off. And did you ever stop to think what my thoughts on being pulled out were?" She sniffed, rubbing her forehead. He was overprotective and she loved him nonetheless... but he was so stubborn.

"Videl... I know that you wanted to stay on, but sometimes a parent knows what's best for a child. You might not like it, you might hate me for it, but I'm sure that one day we'll be glad I did it. And... I just need to be sure, that if I ever disappear that my little girl will be alright..." He choked slightly, "th-that she'll be alright, if I'm not here tomorrow... that you'll survive and everything."

Videl was slightly taken aback by the sudden change in the tone of his voice, he seemed almost... sad. She supposed that Sharpner hadn't been the only one that had grown up; she never recalled him acting so strange. Unsure of how to answer that, she caved in.

"Alright dad... I'll try and do a little better."

"That's my girl. I'll see if I can't get you back on the force if you pick up your grades a little..."

...

Gohan angrily pounded on the door of the gravity chamber, noting that he slightly dented the metal that it was made out of. He was almost positive the racket he was making would rile up Vegeta, and that was what he was going for. He was itching for a proper fight... to vent his frustrations and let out everything that had been building up within him lately. Even if he got the snot beaten out of him, he needed to soothe the anger that he was feeling.

Where had it all gone wrong? He'd been trying to keep his distance from Videl, just minding his own business. If all had gone right, she wouldn't have noticed him and he would've pretended to not notice her. But... no... their damn Maths teacher had to screw everything up. His plans of leaving her to herself this time around were all for nil; all the caution he'd gone through over the last month or two for nothing. Instead of barely knowing who he was, she was now sitting next to him every Maths lesson as he tutored her.

Even worse, he couldn't give her a cold shoulder or something... it was their final year of school; if she failed Maths because he didn't help where he could've he wouldn't be able to live with himself. What he was perhaps most furious about though was that comment that their Maths teacher had let slip...

" _... You guys used to sit next to each other all the time anyway..."_

The extremes he'd gone to, forcing Erasa, Sharpner and Mr. Satan to swear to not tell Videl about the relationship he'd had with her... all worthless. While he couldn't necessarily bring himself to blame their Maths teacher, Gohan was still frustrated. He needed to beat something up or at the very least, to get beaten up. Whichever one it would be, Vegeta was the man to turn to.

Gohan's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the door suddenly sliding up, as he saw a certain Saiyan prince at the control panel near the back of the room. Wordlessly, he stepped in, finding it somewhat strange that Vegeta hadn't yet spoken a word.

"... Hi..." Gohan wanted to kick himself as the word awkwardly slipped out of his mouth.

"What do you want, brat?" A gruff voice resonated throughout the silent chamber as Vegeta turned around to face him.

"A fight... I need to let some stress out," Gohan said, opting to simply tell the truth.

"I don't have the time to play stupid games with morons such as yourself." Vegeta said as he looked away uninterested, his arms crossing against his chest.

Unsure of how to respond, Gohan eyed the sweat-drenched prince carefully. "I meant a proper fight... you're the only person I know who'll take one seriously."

"If I wanted a punching bag, I would be using one of those damn robots. If you want to fool around, seek out the Namek or something... stop bothering me."

"B-but Piccolo won't take a fight with me seriously, and besides I'm st-"

"Stronger than him? Please, you may have the blood of a Saiyan running through your veins but you aren't a true one. Were the two of you to fight on equal terms, you would have your behind handed to you before you could even blink." Gohan wasn't exactly sure what to make of the complement to his mentor's... skill?

Sighing, Gohan smiled good-naturedly at Vegeta. He was just trying to rile him up, it was a typical Vegeta move. "If you're so sure that I'm rubbish, why don't you prove it?"

"I have nothing to prove to an idiot such as yourself," Vegeta huffed. "Now if you're done, I've got some training to do."

Well… that certainly hadn't been anticipated. Vegeta was being a little more stubborn than usual, it seemed. "You know, given all the stuff you go on about, I never would've taken you for a coward." An icy tone coated Gohan's voice as he let the words flow out of his mouth. If Vegeta didn't want to fight him, then he'd make him  _want_  to.

"Spare me and take your petty insults somewhere else, brat. Go back to playing superhero with that buffoon's daughter before you bark up the wrong tree." There was a certain sting to Vegeta's voice that hurt a little more than he'd have thought it would.

Gohan clenched his fists slightly as he ignored the older Saiyan's words, trying to remind himself that it was only Vegeta's way of getting under his skin.

"If you want a fight, you've got it." Gohan growled lowly, struggling to keep himself in check.

Gohan's eyes narrowed as he saw Vegeta beckon him forward with a gloved hand, smirking in a slight taunting fashion. Running towards the shorter man, Gohan cocked back a fist as he met Vegeta's cocky eyes.

Unhesitatingly, he punched with all his might as soon as he got within the range of the prince, regretting it only seconds later as Vegeta caught it with a single hand. Snarling, Gohan attempted to snap a knee up into his gut, only to find that intercepted by the man's elbow.

Breaking the man's hold on his fist, Gohan jumped backwards as his arms formed a guarding position. He was a little taken aback when he saw that Vegeta had not pursued him after he jumped and even more shocked when said man simply spoke.

"I'm not one of those pesky morons you fight on your little joyrides around the place, I'd have thought you'd remember that."

Ignoring the jab, Gohan charged forward and feinted a punch to Vegeta's gut before sweeping the man off his feet with his right foot. Preparing to elbow the prince, Gohan leapt forward as the man phased out before his body came in contact with the floor of the gravity room without missing a beat.

Well aware of his exposed backside, Gohan tried to duck as a flying kick flew into seconds later, however it was to no avail and the half-Saiyan was sent sprawling across the room. Hitting the floor with a thud, Gohan quickly sprung up as he looked around for Vegeta, somewhat unsurprised when said man was found to be nowhere in sight.

Turning backwards just in time to see Vegeta about the punch him, Gohan threw his body to the side in a last-minute effort to dodge the blow which was sure to be coming his way. However, Vegeta managed halt and raise a foot to his body just before it hit the floor, sending him rocketing off into the air.

Managing to gather his bearings in mid-air, Gohan clenched his teeth as he drew upon his Ki. With a brilliant flash of gold, Gohan transformed to the first level of Super Saiyan and rapidly flew forward, smashing a fist into the surprised Saiyan's temple.

As Vegeta crumpled to the floor from the sheer force of the blow, Gohan reached down to him, attempting to grab him, but a quick elbow to the gut cut the half-Saiyan's efforts short. Retreating momentarily to recompose himself, Gohan gathered his wits as he cupped his hands.

Charging blue Ki within his palms, the boy kept an eye out for Vegeta with his peripheral vision. Noting that the prince was watching with a morbidly curious eye, Gohan took his time to power up his attack. No doubt, Vegeta had something in mind; whether it was a quick counter, a dodge or to take it head on, so he needed to put his all into the attack.

"Kame… Hame.. Ha!" He chanted as he thrust his hands forward towards his father's rival, unleashing the energy attack upon Vegeta.

Despite the fact that he was in his Super Saiyan form and that Vegeta was simply in his base form, the proud prince managed to halt the energy beam in its tracks by simply putting his hands out in front of him. With an air of disappointment around him, Gohan grunted loudly as he put more power into the attack, smiling with satisfaction as Vegeta faltered for a second.

It was not to be however, as with a burst of energy Vegeta ascended to his Super Saiyan form as well. Knowing that there wasn't going to be much hope for his attack at the moment, Gohan cancelled it as he gritted his teeth. It figured that with all the time Vegeta spent in the gravity room would amount for something… he didn't really stand a chance.

Determined not to give in until the last breath just as his father had taught him, Gohan phased out and materialized beside the smirking prince, delivering a sudden blow with his foot to the older man's head. Gohan was almost surprised to note that Vegeta managed to dodge it with relative ease… it was rather weird fighting someone who could fight back properly after so long.

Robbers were one thing, but people that were on the same level—or perhaps even stronger—than him were a whole other. It was almost a shock to his system, finding out that he was completely and utterly outgunned by the man before him.

Snapping out of his thoughts suddenly, Gohan jumped back a fraction of a second too late as a gloved hand managed to collide with his jaw. Wiping a trickle of blood away, Gohan smirked slightly as he waited for Vegeta's next move.

Even though he was losing... badly, there was nothing quite like a good fight.

…

Videl lazily stepped out of the shower before grabbing a towel and slowly drying herself off, before wrapping the fabric around her body. With still slightly damp feet, she walked a little over to the right of the room and opening the curtains slightly.

It was a nice, warm day outside and it had her in a relaxed mood. The steaming hot shower had washed away all of her worries and she wanted to do nothing more than bask in the warmth emanating from the burning globe of heat.

It was a Sunday—they'd always been her lazy day, an opportunity to unwind after a tiring week and perhaps begin to prepare for the next one. Even criminals usually took Sundays off, not in the spirit of the day of course, but because banks and the like were usually far more packed as less people had work. The less people, the less of a chance that one of the civilians turned out to be an ex-cop or a judo veteran.

Being kicked off the force wasn't all that bad, while her very identity felt as though it'd been stripped from her, she didn't have to worry about much as far as criminals went. Maybe she even needed the time off, to catch up?

Videl shook her head slightly as she walked through the bathroom door and into her bedroom, picking up the garments of clothing that she'd picked out previously. She could still handle it, fighting was the one thing that had always been a constant in her life, it felt wrong to have it taken away suddenly. Almost as though it'd do more harm than good.

Letting the towel fall towards the floor, Videl put on her underwear as she allowed herself to drift further off into her thoughts. It felt somewhat wrong to do so, to just  _think_ , given how lazy she felt.

Fingering the oversized white T-shirt gently, Videl pulled it over her head uncaring that her still-wet hair slightly dampened the material. It wasn't as though the sun wouldn't dry it off anyway, windows were a godsend.

Grabbing her biker shorts, Videl pulled them on as she jumped back on her bed. It felt good to have her normal clothes back on—she hadn't been able to bring herself to wear them since she'd been kicked off the Force, but at the moment she was just in a feel good mood. The feeling of contrast that the almost perfectly warm sun and her somewhat moistened hair managed to create was second to none.

Even though she was showered, and dressed Videl could've sworn that she drifted off for a few seconds a couple of times on top of the comfortable feeling of her blanket.

A loud ringing sound interrupted Videl's moment of tranquility, as the young girl scrambled around her side table for the landline. It wasn't too often that anyone called it, the number was rarely given out for security purposes and most of her father's associates and Videl's friends usually called their respective mobile numbers.

As she sat up, Videl pressed the phone to her ear. She really couldn't have cared less about who was on the other side or what they wanted, she just wanted to lie back down and continue to relax.

_'Hello?'_  An impossible bubbly voice rang out from the phone as Videl groaned slightly.

"Er... Erasa? What do you want, it's like eight in the morning?" Videl asked, groggily rubbing her eyes with each hand.

_'Oh hey Vi! Uhh, I was just wondering what you're up to? Doing much?'_  Erasa questioned in a naturally curious tone.

"Not really, why'd you ring the house though?" Videl asked curiously, as she fished around for her mobile phone to make sure she'd not left it on silentor anything. Spying it on the floor, she stretched out a hand and managed to lift it up.

_'You weren't answering on that, so I figured I might as well try this line,'_  Erasa spoke confidently as Videl lifted her phone's screen towards her face. Pressing a button, Videl sighed again when it didn't respond.

"Figures... it's dead. Sorry 'bout that, so anyway what were you asking me about?" asked Videl as she carelessly tossed the device onto her bed. Making a note to relocate the phone's charger to near her bed so that it would be easier to charge it, Videl shuffled over to the edge of the bed.

_'I was going to ask you if it's all right, if come over later? Might have a surprise for you too,'_  Videl could almost visualise the blonde winking as she heard that.

"Sure, I guess, can't do all that much harm. I guess I'll get ready then, I'm still lying in bed like a lazy butt, but what time are you gonna come over?"

_'... You'll find out soon enough.'_  Erasa said in an overly ominous tone, ' _well, I've got to run now but I'll see you soon.'_  And just like that, the blonde hung up in what Videl could only assume was a hurry.

Videl couldn't help but let a small smile overtake her face as she placed the phone down onto the side table, trust Erasa to run off like that. Heading over to her bathroom one more, Videl cracked her knuckles before stretching a little bit.

Approaching the sink, she pushed the faucet up allowing for a steady stream of water to drop out from below. Videl reached into a cup next to the sink, pulling her toothbrush out from it before grasping the tube of toothpaste that she'd left beside the sink last time.

Gently giving it a little squeeze, she applied a little bit of the minty green paste on top of the cheap bristles of her brush—she'd had to resort to a spare after the bristles on her old one had somehow gotten contorted a couple of days ago.

Dipping the brush under the water, she brought it up to her teeth and began to brush her teeth. Once the Satan girl was done, she rinsed out the remnants of the toothpaste on the brush under the sink before placing it back into the cup. Grabbing the glass next to it, she filled it up with water before gargling and turning the faucet off.

Running a hand through her hair, she noted that it had mostly dried off although it was a still a little wet. Figuring it couldn't hurt to dry it, she grabbed her hair drier and flipped the switch before running it over her hair for a couple of minutes.

Sighing as she realised that while the Sun was still bright it was no longer providing much warmth, Videl turned off the hair drier and placed it back on the vanity. Deciding to forego the signature pig-tails that usually accompanied the clothes she was wearing, Videl picked up her hairbrush and straightened out her hair a little.

Satisfied, Videl placed it back down before walking out the door once more. Entering her bedroom again, she grabbed her mobile phone and placed it in charge near the windowsill. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad an idea to use her video phone as a normal phone, she hadn't been asked to return it and she doubted that she would have to... they were still rare and expensive on the market, and were limited in terms of what they could do.

Her regular phone could pretty much do everything except video call, which was pretty much all her video phone could do except make normal calls. The advantage of her regular one lied in the fact that it could send messages and access the Internet—albeit at high prices and with slow connections—however, her video phone was a lot more portable.

Videl doubted that she'd really be using it for police purposes again, or at least for a while, so it wasn't a half bad idea given how useful it  _had_  been while she was  _a part_  of the Force.

Deciding to worry about it later, Videl walked out of her room determined to grab something to eat... hopefully before Erasa rocked up. Videl had learned that the blonde girl was serious about dieting and Erasa generally tried to enforce her own rules on her too, usually making for an awkward meal. She didn't care how fat it'd make her, Videl preferred french fries and a burger over a salad.

It was more filling and she usually burned off the calories or whatever—she wasn't sure of the specifics—later that day as it was. She wasn't too sure how  _she_  had kept to her workout schedule before the accident, but given that her body was in relatively decent shape Videl assumed that it was probably similar.

It probably wasn't half a bad idea to go running or something though, it didn't look as though she'd need to lift weights for a while but keeping in shape sounded like something sensible. Videl was sure that she wouldn't appreciate being unfit if she ever regained her memories... gahh, the very thought of the whole ordeal was messing with her head.

Shuddering slightly as her bare foot made contact with the cold floor of one of the many corridors that made up her house, Videl pressed on quietly. The last thing she wanted was for her to be found by her father...

She was still at odds with him but at the same time, things had worked out a little. A confrontation would be awkward, she was sure of that much. However there was something off about him the other day.

It hadn't been like the day which she'd initially confronted him, he hadn't been too firm while he still had a strict undertone to his voice. It was almost as though he was feeling sorrowful for her, like there was something she didn't know—a missing piece of the puzzle.

Only time would tell whether that was just her gut acting up or whether or not she was onto something, but his words still gave her an odd vibe. Almost as though he was saying that he knew was good for her, even if she didn't and in a way in which she couldn't really understand... thinking about it just made her think that Hercule was right or that what he had done wasn't all that wrong, which wasn't a path which she wanted to go down.

Father or not, Videl would be damned if she let him skate away with what he had pulled. It was totally wrong, even if Videl didn't remember what exactly had happened she was  _positive_  that no form of herself would have let Hercule intervene in that manner.

It made her blood boil but that didn't help soothe the feeling that something was amiss. He sounded worried, almost as if he was trying to forewarn her of something.

It wasn't as if he was going to up and disappear, he was one of the world's richest people. Suddenly the wheels inside her head started turning... if he was rich, it was entirely possible that there'd be high amounts of tax involved.

Tax fraud... she'd heard of it before, it was quite often in fact. Her father couldn't be involved with that or something, could he? It was possible although she doubted it, he'd stuttered a bit but his voice wasn't laced with uncertainty—maybe it was just genuine worry?

That was entirely possible, Videl doubted there were too many parents who'd willingly want their children to fail their final year of high school. That'd affect the rest of her life and it wasn't unlikely that Hercule was worried for her future.

She was an only child, one day she'd have to follow in Hercule's footsteps somehow. There wasn't anyone else that could do it, a manager was one thing—but Hercule's image, one of a fighter, a Satan... it could only be continued by one of his blood. Most of their revenue came from Hercule's image as it was, through various sponsors and everything, they'd need someone to replace him when he was balding and in a wheelchair.

She'd accepted that it'd be her quite a while ago... but effectively being thrown a few years into the future was a bit of a shock. In as short as a year, it was possible that she'd find herself stepping into Hercule shoes... although she hoped to complete Uni first, she wasn't sure what she and her father had worked out before the incident.

Sighing, Videl massaged her temples gently as she approached the kitchen. It hadn't taken too long thanks to the ingenuity of the architect who'd managed to make the place the most accessible room even in a mansion as large as theirs.

Videl was a little surprised to note that no-one was there at all, no maids, no servants and no butlers before she remembered that it was a Sunday. They usually didn't come in until about noon on Sundays, normally because she and her father tended to sleep in a bit.

Shrugging to herself, Videl opened the fridge and took out a loaf of bread. Placing it on the bench top, she grabbed two slices of the bread—somewhat disappointed to find that it was wholemeal bread, she'd been hoping for white—and dropped them into the toaster. Pressing down upon the lever, Videl backed off as it began to toast the bread.

She was far from a master of the kitchen, she was more likely to slice thumb than a vegetable, but she knew how to make enough things to get by. She'd had to learn on the few camping trips that they'd been on at school—although they didn't allow you to go on one during your final year, they'd proved to be an interesting experience for her.

That's when she'd truly began to appreciate the simplicity of toast, quick and moderately filling for a long day of hiking or some other type of activity. It was a shame that she couldn't  _remember_  going on a camp without a base camp though, she'd been looking forward to constantly changing the location of where she slept every night.

Grabbing the butter, Videl placed a knife on top of it as she stared out the window, lifelessly waiting on the toast. The martial artist couldn't stop her mind from drifting towards Erasa's  _surprise_  however; they generally had very differing opinions on what was good and what was bad.  
Chances were Erasa had either gotten a new boyfriend, a new hairstyle or a new piece of gossip which she was dying to share. Knowing the girl, it was unlikely that she'd ever share something she considered valuable over the phone and Videl had to agree, there was a certainly something special about talking to someone in person.

It was fairly likely that it was the first option though, Videl was counting the days until Sharpner tried to make a move on her—it was blatantly obvious that the two had something for each other. Perhaps something that they couldn't see, but something nonetheless... that said, Videl was curious to see how Erasa would like Mark. She'd seemed rather interesting when Videl had given her a rough run down on the guy.

Happy to be distracted by the little ping which meant that the toast was ready, Videl pulled out the two pieces and put them onto her plate. Raising one up, she almost took a bite before hesitating slightly. Realising that she'd forgotten the butter, she opened the little box of butter and spread it across the toast.

Taking a bite into it, Videl found that it didn't taste half bad for a piece of toast.

...


	7. Chapter 7

Hearing a soft knocking noise, Gohan raised a hand to his temple, gently massaging it as he managed to open an eye. Sitting up on the bed, he wiped a hand across his forehead as he attempted to make sense of his surroundings.

He was in a fairly clean but empty room, there was a side table next to him but not much else within the room except for a dresser. The walls were completely void of decorations—no paintings, no photos and no ornaments of any kind were hanging from them—and were a pale cream colour. All in all, the room looked relatively unfurnished, almost as though someone was moving into it but nothing had been added to it yet.

Finding a small bandage tied around his knuckles, Gohan flexed his left hand slightly before quickly Ki-checking the area. Recognising the one at the door as a familiar one, he pushed himself off the bed and opened the door of the room.

"How're you feeling kiddo?" Bulma asked with a genuine smile.

"Fine I guess... although I don't know why I'm here," Gohan shrugged slightly. "All I remember was a spar with Vegeta..."

"Don't know what you two were doing in there, but Vegeta had you slung over his shoulder as he came out last night—you were out like a light," Bulma explained, laughing slightly. "So anyway, I've been meaning to ask you how the changes to your Saiyaman costume worked out. Any bugs I should know about, or things that you'd like me to work on?"

"I haven't tried it yet, didn't even go to the city yesterday and you only gave it to me on Friday," Gohan chuckled a little. "I'll make sure to swing by after I try it out though, that Ki-vision thing sure seemed interesting."

Bulma blushed slightly, "Aww... it was the least I could do anyway. And yeah, I guess I forgot that I only gave it to you two days ago, but I've got another question for you."

"And what would that be?" Gohan asked inquisitively, glancing into the shorter woman's eyes.

"What do you plan to do with Videl?" Bulma asked with the unhesitating blunt force of a bullet. "I know it's a little harsh on me to ask you about it and all, but you need to come to a decision sooner or later."

"W-what do you mean?" Gohan stuttered anxiously. "It's her life, I'm not going to pressure her into doing anything."  
"That's fine and all kiddo, but remember what we talked about? The Dragon Balls?" Bulma continued as he slowly nodded. "I reckon Videl-"

"Hang on," Gohan interrupted her suddenly, a look of horror painted upon his face. "The Dragon Balls... oh no."

"What?" asked Bulma, confused. "Yeah, the Dragon Balls, the things that grant any wish..."

"No, I mean that we need to use the Dragon Balls... I forgot something really important the other day," Gohan tore at his hair slightly, a panicked tone to his voice.

"Calm down Gohan," Bulma made sure to look right into his eyes, attempting to reassure the half-Saiyan. "Let me know what's wrong and we can take things from there."

"I-I forgot about them that day... the day that  _Saiyaman_ returned... I was a bit too late and a couple of the people on the Police Force died—in front of my eyes too!" Gohan scrunched up his eyes in anger. "I pretty much let them die and I completely forgot about them too... just think of their families."

"Take a deep breath," Bulma instructed, making sure to wait for the adolescent to do so before continuing. "First of all, don't worry, we can fix things with the Dragon Balls and second, it's not your fault in the slightest Gohan."

"It is..." Gohan frowned, "Vegeta was right, I was lazy—slack, if I'd just been a little faster they'd still be breathing."

"You need to understand that crime is committed all over the world, first. Satan City is a criminal hotspot because it's home to one of the world's biggest Black Markets although in recent years it's become much safer thanks to the work of yourself, Videl and the Police Force. In other places, countries, deaths are much more frequent. What matters is that you showed up, instead of thinking about how many deaths occurred that day, think about how many you prevented—you saw the situation, everyone did, the Police Force couldn't have handled that without a lot of collateral damage." Bulma's voice slipped into the reprimanding tone she generally saved for Trunks, firm but just and all-knowing.

"I guess, but that still doesn't do anything to change the fact that people are dead and that's indirectly because of me," Gohan clenched his fists slightly.

"That's where the Dragon Balls come into play. We've got two wishes and we can use them; the first to revive them and the second to make everyone forget that they ever died," Bulma argued reasonably, calming slightly as she saw Gohan relax a little.

"Thanks Bulma," he flashed her an appreciative smile. "You always know what to do."

"I'm not a genius for nothing," she stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "Although there's a little problem with that... I was just about to ask you whether or not you were ready to use the Dragon Balls for Videl."

"Use them for Videl?" He questioned, somewhat curiously, although he had a gut feeling that the conversation was headed somewhere he didn't want to go.

"Don't you remember?" Bulma sighed lightly, "We were planning to use the dragon to override her amnesia if she didn't manage to do it herself. It's been a couple of months, so I was just about to ask your opinion on it before I approached Mr. Satan again."

A pit of dread began to slowly develop in his stomach as his mind raced through the different possibilities. "I-I'm not sure. I guess we could head over to Namek or something..."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea kiddo, why don't you ask your dad to go and see if anything can be done?" Bulma tapped a finger on her chin thoughtfully, "in the meanwhile I'll have a chat with Mr. Satan and get his opinion on what we should do."

"I-I think Videl should come first Bulma, that was only partially my fault right?" Gohan looked towards the ground, "the people that died though were completely my fault. It's not fair if someone else has to suffer because of my mistakes-"

"Hold it," Bulma interrupted. "None of that was 'partially or completely' your fault, so don't go blaming yourself for it. And I'm sure Videl will be fine, after all there's still a chance that she'll naturally regain her memories—it's only amnesia that we're dealing with."

"That's not the point..." Gohan trailed off, looking up towards Bulma slightly. "That's only half the problem, you've not seen Videl in any of the classes that we have. She's struggling, badly."

Bulma shook her head grinning slightly. "Well you could always lend her a hand if she needs it that  _badly_."

"I can't Bulma... if this stuff doesn't work out, I don't deserve to be apart of her life again," Gohan said shamefully.

"That's nonsense Gohan!" Bulma snapped quickly before taking on a softer tone, "And besides, if she's really struggling like you say, it should be your responsibility to help her along. Not sit away selfishly while her life falls apart—even if she regains her memories, her career won't be smooth sailing if she's got poor grades in her final year."

"Do you really mean that Bulma?" Gohan said guiltily, "am I really being selfish? I thought-"

"You thought  _wrong_ , Gohan. If Videl needs help are you really going to take a big step back because you're too afraid to interfere?" A sharp look accompanied Bulma's words.

"So what do I do then?" He asked, frustration evident in his lost tone.

"You could start by helping where you can... other than that, not much else I suppose, but you need to make a start."

"That's not really going to help," argued Gohan. "If she's doing bad at most of her subjects, helping her with one or two's hardly going to make a difference!"

"I'll talk to Hercule and maybe talk him into getting her some help, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't do what you can Gohan." Bulma made sure to look into his eyes as she spoke, before hesitating slightly. "I know this is hard on you and that this is a touchy subject kiddo, but you need to make sure you're not doing more harm than good sometimes."

…

"I'm not wearing  _that_  Erasa!" Videl all but shrieked as she screwed up her face.

"Why not?" her blonde haired friend asked enthusiastically. "It looks really cute and I bet that it'd go really well with your eyes."

"That's exactly why," Videl rolled her eyes slightly. "Videl Satan does  _not_  wear dresses!"

"Well what's the harm in wearing one?" Erasa argued, arching an eyebrow in a surprisingly mature manner. "Besides you could probably do with getting in touch with a bit of your inner girliness, Vi."

"I don't need to be girly," Videl huffed. "I don't like getting all dolled up and feeling helpless."

"I forgot about how stubborn you were about this kinda stuff," Erasa sighed, turning away from her longtime friend. "I'd just gotten you to start coming around too..."

That seemed to do the trick... sort of. "Fine, I'll take the skirt," Videl said sourly.

"And the dress?" Erasa piped up hopefully, as she glanced towards the garment in her hands.

"Don't get your hopes too high," Videl chided as she picked out one of the skirts from the rack they were standing by. It was one of the many that Erasa had taken her through and probably the most sensible of all of them, a white business-like mid length skirt. Definitely the lesser of two evils when it came to the other god-forbidden miniskirts that Erasa had picked out or the skimpy thing within her hands.

"Aww," whined Erasa as she tossed the dress carelessly on top of the rack. As somewhat of a surprise, she had decided to take her friend shopping and hopefully bond with her more. It was almost working, although there was still an air of awkwardness between them. And that had never been there before, not before the little memory muddle or back when they'd  _both_  been fifteen.

"So anyway, how'd you go on that Science test with Dr. Loi?" Erasa asked, opting for a change of topic.

Wincing slightly, Videl bit her lower lip. "Fifty-three per cent, 'least I managed to pass it I guess."

"That's not half bad," Erasa gave Videl a sympathetic look. "Sorry I distracted you the other day instead of studying more with you—if anything it's my fault... I can-"

"Relax Erasa," Videl grinned slightly as her friend panicked. "It was my fault for not studying as much as I could have, I procrastinated too much. Besides it's only one test, I'm sure I'll be able to pick it up by the next one."

"Still... Dr. Loi's such a dick! How exactly does he expect you to sit a test with the condition you're in? I mean it's a miracle that you even got past the third question," Erasa threw her hands up a little in frustration.

"I guess all I can do is live with it," sighed Videl as she glanced at the skirt in her hands. Fingering the material slightly, she found that it was rather soft and that it felt nice to touch—a sharp contrast to the tight jeans she was wearing.

"Sadly," Erasa relented as she let out a deep breath. "So anyway how are your other subjects coming along? I haven't had the chance to have a good chat with you in a while!"

"Well I reckon I'm good with English," Videl said as she walked towards the counter, a nodding Erasa in tow. "Maths isn't really working out all that well, but there's some kid that our teacher told me to sit next to. Apparently he's a wiz at everything and all, think we've got him in English as well."

"His name isn't Gohan by any chance, is it?" Erasa asked, as curious as she always was to know about the details of everything before joining Videl in the queue.

"Yeah, is he anyone I should be knowing?" Videl asked absentmindedly, she'd seen him around a couple of times.

"Not really," Erasa sighed before grinning a little bit. "Just between me and you though, he's a bit of a cutie."

"Cutie?" Videl asked perplexed before adopting a similar grin to the one Erasa had on her face. "I thought you liked Sharpner though?"

"Sharpner's coming along, and Gohan's not really my kinda guy," Erasa waved a hand dismissively. "But you've got to admit that he's got the best eyes in our year level—no contest."

"Haven't really paid much attention to them," Videl confessed as she advanced in the queue. "They were brown, right?"

"Yep," Erasa confirmed as she eyed a few clothes off to the left. "So any other problems with your other subjects?"

Reverting to their former topic, Videl replied nonchalantly. "Not really, all the teachers have been really sympathetic towards me in them. Don't know how long that'll last for, but apparently I've got to apply to have some special provisions or something at the curriculum office at school."

"Oh yeah!" Erasa exclaimed in recollection, "I remember that time when my sister broke her writing arm, she had to apply for them so that she'd get to type her exams on a laptop instead of writing them out on paper."

"Sounds pretty lucky," Videl grinned, even she knew how much of a pain writing out a long exam could be.

"Kind of," Erasa agreed. "She was allowed to do that, but I think they nerfed the amount of time she was allowed to do the exam in—plus, it wasn't even connected to the net."

"Makes sense, I've been meaning to apply for it for like the past week now but I keep on forgetting."

"Remind me to drag you over to the office on Monday then," Erasa poked her tongue out playfully at Videl as the former crimefighter moved towards the counter to pay.

"Will do," Videl nodded as she moved away from the counter with the bag that the cashier had handed her after she bought the skirt. Exiting the store as Erasa followed her, Videl expertly waved through the crowd as she made her way to the shopping centre's food court.

Glancing at her wrist only to realise that she didn't have her watch on, Videl guessed that it was about three in the afternoon, meaning that they'd probably be able to catch a late lunch. With luck, there wouldn't be a crowd either.

"So what do you feel like eating?" The black-haired girl questioned as they approached the food court.

"I'll probably just have a salad," Erasa gave her a goofy smile. "Not feeling all that hungry."

"Knowing you, you're probably just trying to watch your weight," teased Videl as she sat down at a table, gesturing for the blonde to sit down on the seat in front of her.

"Hey, beauty doesn't come easily for all of us!" Videl laughed playfully with Erasa as the girl's smile blew into a full-fledged grin as she spoke. "So what're you going to eat, Vi? I'll bet all that shopping made you hungry."

Not quite catching the joke, Videl's face straightened a little. "Not really, I was thinking about going for a burger," Videl gestured over to a small fast-food like shop behind her.

"You know that stuff's not healthy for you," commented Erasa. "Why don't you try a salad? A bit of healthy eating never did anyone any harm."

"I guess," Videl shrugged optimistically, sitting down at a table as Erasa beamed brightly at her. Sighing as the blonde girl took off to get them food, Videl slowly eyed the people in the shopping centre one by one, absentmindedly as she tried to calm herself slightly. While on the exterior she was shielded by the cool facade that she normally produced, on the inside she was worried. Both paranoid and anxious if she had to take a guess, as well as slightly worried about her test result for Chemistry.

Videl had slowly begun to cope with the  _fact_  that she was eighteen, that actually wasn't hard to get her head around. Being in her final year of high school was. One moment she had barely even entered high school and boom... the next she was a senior student. The mere thought of that was preposterous, but not nearly as much as the pressure of everything.

She had never had perfect grades, good—maybe slightly above average on a great day, but at the same time she had never really struggled with anything. The work was _hard_ , so hard that she was convinced that even with all the help in the world, she would never be able to understand it. That had never happened before, if it was hard it was moderately hard... now it was extremely difficult.

In Maths, she wasn't even doing  _Year 10_  work! Unlike the rest of her classmates, she was going through a shabbily thrown together crash course in whatever the teacher knew on Year 9 Maths. That was hard enough to grasp the concept of, nevermind the square root of negative one.

That was only one piece to the puzzle, Chemistry she had only scraped through in because majority of the test was multi-choice for some reason. By some fluke she had managed to gather quite a few points there and a couple in the writing sections. Regurgitating the information in her textbook had been a great help with that—Videl has almost no doubt that she would fail the final exam.

Even if by some miracle she didn't fail it, getting fifty-three per cent was almost just as bad. But that still want even half of the problem, she intended to go on to university after school—she always had. The degree she wanted to do was still up for grabs, Satan City's education system generally attempted to leave all paths as open as possible at all times. Even so, Videl could merely imagine the grief that university would bring upon her given that she was struggling with high school work.

And the last thing she wanted to do was let anyone think that she couldn't handle it. Videl was aware that it was incredibly stubborn, Erasa has said so enough times already, but she wasn't a puny princess who couldn't handle it when things got tough. She didn't need to be out in a special school or kept home for the rest of the school year, she was a big girl and she could handle it.

Glancing throughout the crowd, Videl noted a vaguely familiar face. He was a sporty guy that she remembered from way back in middle school, athletic to crazy degrees. Puberty had worked its magic with him, and now instead of the pimpled-face guy with a high voice who could run fast, stood a fairly muscular young  _man._

However it wasn't to him that Videl's eyes were drawn to, rather the blonde girl accompanying him. As Erasa approached with their food, Videl slowly compared the two hairstyles before her eyes widened significantly.

"Say... Erasa, didn't I have short hair at some time?"

Videl wasn't sure what hurt her ears more, the resounding  _clang_  of the metal tray as it hit the floor or the surprised squeal of her friend.

...

"And today we have with us long-time student of Orange Star High and all-time best friend of Videl Satan, the one and only Sharpner Pencil!"

Sharpner blinked slowly before clearing his voice and looking towards the camera. "That right, I'm Sharpner Pencil. Was there anything specific that you wanted to tale about... uhh"

"Jess," the reporter supplied. "And Sharpner, I asked you earlier if you would be willing to have a brief chat with us at ZTV about the current situation with Ms. Satan, so why don't you start us off?"

"Well Videl's been doing fine so far, as you likely know she's recently returned to school and is currently catching up with all her subjects." Sharpner replied nonchalantly, making sure to phrase things correctly. If there was one thing he knew, it was that the media could put a spin on any story.

"How is her memory fairing, Mr. Pencil?" The reporter pushed the microphone that she was speaking into towards his mouth.

"Uhh, I'm not too sure to be honest. I don't think there's been much of an improvement, but Videl's strong and I'm sure she'll recover," Sharpener said awkwardly. He really had no clue how to respond to a question like that, did they expect him to be inside her head or something?

The reporter nodded, seemingly accepting his response before posing another question. "Do you have any comment to make on her being taken out from the Police Force?"

"Videl's still the same Videl as always," Sharpner sighed slightly. "She's still an excellent fighter, it's just that taking on crime fighting duties along with getting readjusted to school would be hard for anybody."

"So does that mean we can expect to see her amongst the ranks of other crime fighters again?" Jess' eyebrows peaked ever so slightly, as though it was a question that she really wanted to know the answer to.

"Count on it," said Sharpner firmly. "I don't reckon it's permanent in the slightest, she loves crime fighting and protecting the people of Satan City."

"Well that's great to hear Sharpner, I'm sure everyone would love to see her up and about again. On that note, what are your thoughts on Saiyaman returning?"

"I think that there couldn't have been better timing," Sharpner raised bemused eyebrow at the question. "It's great to know that there'll be someone filling Videl's shoes while she's gone and I have utmost faith in his abilities."

"Do you think that he returned specifically because of Ms. Satan's... little... situation?" she asked awkwardly, "it's been a while after all."

"Indeed," Sharpner replied wisely. "While I don't know the guy personally, that's probably pretty likely. Can't say I know why he disappeared in the first place either, but hey he's back now!"

"And there you have it folks, the latest news on your favourite eighteen year old courtesy of ZTV, this has been Jessica Sanders reporting!" The reporter subtly signalled the camera man beside her to end the broadcast, before reaching into the pocket of her blue-jacket and pulling out a cigarette.

"Thanks kid," she muttered, biting the cigarette as she fished around for a lighter in the pockets of her jeans. "The stuff you made up about Saiyaman was pretty great."

"I didn't make up anything about him," Sharpner replied a little too swiftly in protest as the woman shrugged before lighting her cigarette.

"You don't seriously believe the stuff you said about that clown do you, kid?" she said, puffing a little smoke his way.

"Of course I do!" Sharpner said incredulously, "and don't call him a clown, he's a-"

"Superhero?" She questioned as she cut him off. "A freak would be more like it and an idiot even closer, you shouldn't get too fond of such people. It'll do you a world of good later on, Sharpner."

"... He might be a little silly sometimes, but that doesn't mean he's a freak," the blonde-haired adolescent struggled to keep his cool. "He's actually pretty good guy."

The reporter merely offered him a smug smile in response as he blinked in confusion. "Did I miss something?"

"You said you didn't know him personally, but if that was so how would you know that he's 'actually a pretty good guy?'" Jess inhaled slightly as she flipped her hair.

"I-I didn't mean... that," Sharpner ran his fingers through his hair in defeat. "Why do you even care, he's a freak isn't he?"

"That he is," she nodded in agreement. "Or at least that's what he'll be until I'm convinced otherwise, however there's no way in hell that I would miss the chance to be the first person to shove a mic to Saiyaman's face."

"Well you're out of luck," Sharpner said blandly. "I don't know who he is or where to find him, but I've talked to him as Saiyaman before... hanging around Videl let's you do that and all."

"While she's putting our building fires or defeating robbers?" she asked sarcastically, "I'm sure you'd be right next to her."

"You'd be surprised actually, I'm actually a bit of a martial artist myself," Sharpner bit on his bottom lip as he prayed that she wouldn't call his bluff.

"Heh I guess those biceps had to come from somewhere," she chuckled slightly. "How come you're never on television with her or anything?"

"I said I'm a martial artist, not a crime fighter," Sharpner said smoothly, finding it simple to work the answer into his lie. "Attacking armed robbers isn't my forte."

"Y'know you're not all that bad kid." She nodded in understanding and if he didn't know any better, he would've said that the redhead smiled at him. "How old did you say you were again?"

"I didn't," he said flatly. "I'm eighteen next Saturday, actually."

"Well aren't you a big boy," she flashed a grin at him, as she reached into her breast pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. Handing it to him, she winked. "Let me know if anything else happens in regards to your friend... or if you just want to talk to me... either way, I'm sure something could be arranged."

Sharpner didn't notice her elusively slipping away as he glanced at the piece of paper within his hands, his heart-beat rising ever so slightly as he saw what was on it.

A phone number.

…

"Yes, I think that will be most appropriate. It's unfortunate, but I think it's only fair—she'll just have to wait."

" _Thanks for being so understanding, Hercule. I'm sure it'll soothe a few of Gohan's worries, but I've told him to ask Goku about Namek anyway. I'll keep you posted on what's happening."_

Hercule sighed as he pocketed the phone he had pressed to his ear. Reaching for the handle of the door, Hercule pulled it and stepped out of his car. It wasn't anything special or flashy, just a regular car—a couple years old and relatively cheap. He had long-since learned that an expensive car wouldn't do when you were trying to fit in amongst a crowd, even one in the bustling streets of Satan City.

Closing the door, he calmly locked the car before proceeding to confidently walk towards the entrance of the building he had stopped in front of. It wasn't that he was trying to hide from anyone, it was just that what he was doing was rather important—for both himself and his daughter—and he didn't  _want_  to be interrupted.

He had already scheduled an appointment with the school's principal, something that he should've done along time ago. It hadn't taken him long to realise that there was something off about the test that Videl had sat... even he had much better grades in high school, and that was saying something since during his youth he hadn't been known for his wit.

He found himself a bit ashamed to admit that he used to opportunity in order to get Videl pulled out of the Force, even temporarily because it was clear that the test she had sat was far beyond her level. Hell to barely scrape though it was a miracle in itself...

However, he was unsure of who was to blame. Himself for not organising something—he hadn't honestly expected her to leap right back into school when she barely remembered anything that she had learned within the last few years, had he?— or the staff of the school who should've taken it upon themselves to do something about it.

He had even checked with his secretary, something that he rarely bothered to do, and found that the school had made  _no_  attempt at contacting him. Part of him wanted to have Videl immediately pulled out of the place—it was ridiculous, any decent school would've contacted him after all—but he knew that would be rash and stupid. Things that he had been fairly guilty of being as of late.

Brushing those thoughts aside, he let his walk turn into a powerful stride as he opened the front door of the school building. Ignoring the small creek that the badly oiled let off, he made his way towards the front desk—somewhat surprised when he found no-one behind the counter.

He could've sworn that he had made an appointment. How...  _unprofessional_. Frowning, he impatiently pressed on the golden bell sitting on the counter. It wasn't until a few moments passed before he heard the distinct scuffling of something in the room behind the counter.

A scrawny figure soon emerged, light grey haired and blue eyed, however he had a very-noticeable hunchback. Despite that, the man had a very bold and somewhat obnoxious tone to his voice.

"Ahh... Mr. Satan, we've been expecting you. The headmistresses will be with you shortly," he said in a rather formal tone as he gave a polite nod of head to the afro-haired man. "In the meanwhile, why don't you take a seat and occupy yourself with whatever it is that you do these days."

In the various visits that Hercule had had with the school, he had come to learn that the vice principal was an odd fellow—the term  _old_   _fart_  didn't even begin to describe him. Wordlessly nodding, Hercule sat down on the coffee table before glancing at his watch.

However, he wasn't short on time. He had given up most of the day to the specific cause of the little meeting he intended to have with the principal. But his patience was still wearing thin—Hercule himself had been ten minutes late to their little meeting—and Hercule wasn't a very patient man.

Perhaps the pressure of the business world was beginning to get the better of him, but he had become very accustomed to the uniformity of said world. There was a life outside of the ring for him, it was the one which fed and watered his family... or at least what was left of it.

Grimacing, Hercule looked up as he heard the creaky door fly open, both relieved and delighted to note that the principal had finally shown up.

"Sorry for my tardiness," she offered him a happy smile. However he was a little taken aback to notice that he wasn't quite who he had been expecting. "You wouldn't believe it, but there was a  _massive_ traffic rush."

"Y-you?" he stuttered, looking at her in disbelief. "You're the principal? What happened to the other guy?"

"The other guy, as you put it, retired rather earlier on in the year. Teaching all these kids sure can be a handful, so Mr. Adams left his post as headmaster," the blonde grinned at him slightly before adding, "fancy meeting you again, Hercule?"

"I guess, it's been a while..." Hercule stuttered slightly, at a loss for words.

"Rose," she supplied, realising that he had forgotten her name. "Take it that my face is a little more familiar than my name?"

"Y-yeah, but it's changed quite a lot since high school." Hercule rubbed the back of his head slightly, before snapping up into a more serious position. "Anyway, all jokes aside there's some serious stuff that we need to talk about."

"I noticed," she nodded, "so what was it that you wanted."

"It's about Videl..." He muttered slightly as he massaged his temples slightly. "I'm not even sure what I'm meant to do anymore."

"Well why don't you follow me into my office, and we can talk more there?" she said before walking forward, Hercule following with a nod.

Reaching for the door of her office, she politely held the door open for Hercule and allowed him to enter before doing so herself and sitting down on her chair. Gesturing for him to sit down on the little visitor's chair across her desk, she ran a hand through her hair.

"It's not often that I make appointments on Sundays, but I figured I'd make an exception in this case," she said. "I guess we can start things off by agreeing on one thing, taking Videl off the Police Force was a great move on your part."

"I'd like to say so," Hercule responded grimly. "However she hates my guts for it... and it's been a long time since we've been at odds like we are now."

"She might not like it," Rose admitted as she let a heavy breath out. "But can you imagine the stress she would have to deal with because of it? I'm sure Mr. Adams was considering having a talk to her about stepping down even  _before_  this whole memory mess."

"I still don't like it much though," Hercule said with no small amount of distaste in his mouth. "Anyway, I needed to talk to you about maybe organising something for Videl. It's obviously completely unfair if she goes into exams in her current state... there must be something we can do?"

Tapping a finger on the old wooden desk, the principal responded. "Yes, from what I've been told Videl's been instructed to submit a 'special needs' form to the curriculum office. I'm unsure if she's done so or not, but with luck it'll be no problem and we'll have something worked out."

"I see," Hercule said nodding, before reaching into the pocket of the coat that he was wearing and pulling out a piece of paper. "This here... is a recent result of Videl's, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it."

Hercule watched with fascination as Rose's eyes widened considerably as she took the piece of paper from him. "This isn't something that Videl should've been made to sit!"

"That's what I thought," he sighed before continuing, "it's dated as quite recent too."

"I might have to have a little word with Dr. Loi, but was there anything specific you wanted to talk about?"

"Yeah," Hercule nodded. "If that's the work that she's going to have to do, I'm going to need some kind of way to get her up to shape or something."

"Makes sense," the principal nodded. "Well there are a couple of things that you could do; as you no doubt know, you could move her down a couple of years, pull her out of school and let her rejoin Year 12 next year or alternatively... you could look into hiring a tutor."

"A tutor?" Hercule's eyes snapped up to meet the principal's amused ones.

"Yes, a tutor. I hadn't quite considered the option before because of the work Videl was doing with the Police Force, that would have her completely swamped with things to do, but now it's a completely viable solution." The principal nodded, speaking more confidently with every passing word. "Many students have tutors as it—she just needs a good one."

"A really good one. A really, really good one if she's to catch up on a few years worth of high school," Hercule nodded in acknowledgement.

"I'm sure that won't be too much of a problem, the curriculum office will most likely allow her to take notes into a couple of the tests and all that. If she puts in the work—which I'm sure she will—things should turn out just fine for her." He smiled at the woman's confidence in his daughter.

"Ah I see, but that said, do you have the name of a decent tutor? I want nothing short of the best for Videl, it's the least I could do after taking her off the Force and all," Hercule raised his arms behind the chair and stretched them.

Rose grabbed the notepad that was carelessly sprawled out on top of her desk and reached into a nearby draw to pull out a pen. "I'll write down this guy's details; he helped my daughter get into the best university in the country a couple of years ago, his name's Mr. Shu and while he's a little strict, I'm sure you'll find him to be rather suitable."

Hercule only nodded, as she slipped a small post-it note across the table. "Also while we're here... I was just wondering if anything related to a Son Gohan has come to your attention."

"Ah, I've heard about that fellow," the principal smiled. "Used to hang out with Videl from what I've gathered, but as of late he's apparently been a lot more withdrawn—also as of the last couple of days his attendance record has been falling down the gutter." Her smile faltered.

"Interesting... I was just making sure that-"

"Nothing was going on?" She raised an eyebrow, inquisitively. "While it's not my place to say, it's Videl's business. But if it does quell any fears, Son Gohan's academic scores have never been better... though the recent disappearances are rather worrying."

"I wouldn't be worrying about it too much..." Hercule muttered, purposely allowing Rose to hear. As she glanced at him curiously, he continued, "I'm not too sure on the exact details but I do know he used to have some issues..."

"Issues?" The aging woman's face piqued.

"I think they were medical or something, nevertheless I reckon it'd be best to let him do as he pleases." Hercule said smoothly, shuddering slightly as Rose gave him a harsh glare.

" _You would reckon,_  but you're not running the school, Hercule. I cannot let a student disappear like that, it's unsafe!" she protested, absentmindedly wondering how they'd gotten from Videl to Gohan's attendance record.

"The Sons are rather close family friends..." Hercule's voice dropped to a whisper, it sounded as though he was making up a story but at the same time it was coated with adamant confidence—something that wasn't easily faked. "I would have no issues with paying for Gohan to attend another school which will let him do what he wants to sort out these issues, but if you need it... I could certainly organise a little more money to take care of any problems that would arise by letting him  _disappear_."

Hercule knew exactly where Gohan was disappearing to, although it wasn't hard to act as though he had no clue. Rose easily bought that, which only added to the plausibility of the whole thing—Hercule wasn't considered an inspiration leader for nothing. He knew how to lie or rather, how to subliminally plant ideas into someone's head using dialogue.

"Now you're trying to bribe me? Hercule, I never expected you to stoop  _that_ low!" She continued to give him an unimpressed glare as he flinched a little.

"If not for the sake of Gohan himself, at least do it for me, an old friend?" he pleaded, joining his hands together slightly for full effect.

"... Fine," she sighed, looking the other way. "You said it was probably medical and Gohan's easily the best student the school's had in the last decade, at least, academically."

"Yep, that kid has enough brains to fill an entire library," Hercule nodded as he cooly reassured her.

"Well... I can't stop the questions from arising, but I can tell the teachers to let it go. You said it was medical, but you didn't know the details..."

"It's a rare conditioned that's resurfaced after an absence of sorts," Hercule half-lied as he grit his teeth. "Gohan's not very comfortable with others knowing about it, from what I've gathered."

"So I guess I shouldn't put it on the medical records then? The only problem is that if anything happens to him, we may need to know what he's diagnosed with-"

"Relax," Hercule held out a hand, stopping Rose from ranting any longer. "It's nothing that's necessarily bad, or life-threatening, plus he's got his own private doctor on call. If something goes wrong, the school can call the registered number."

"It's a sad day when a parent knows the medical practices of this school better than the principal," she sighed. "I'll do my best, Hercule."

"Thanks, I appreciate it," he gave her a sincere smile, before his face darkened slightly. "One more thing... don't tell anyone about his condition, and  _for the love of god_  don't question him about it."

"I take it that there's been a bad experience related to that in the past?" She chuckled, before sighing. "Well, no worries, I swear to confidentiality too; this stays between you and I."

…


	8. Chapter 8

" _Say... Erasa, didn't I have short hair at some time?"_

Erasa dropped the tray to the floor, gathering the contents of the spilled metal tray. Her arms were still shaking but thankfully the two bowls of salad had clear plastic lids over them, so the actual salad hadn't been re-tossed across the food court's floor. However the same couldn't be said for the two paper cups of water that had been on the tray and while she was lucky enough to avoid getting any water on herself, the tray was drenched.

Videl quickly came to her rescue and scooped up the soaked tray, placing it on the table with a little chuckle. Gratefully placing the two bowls of salad next to it, Erasa quickly slipped off back to the food shop that she had gotten their lunch from to grab two more forks, without a word.

Taking her time to reach the little cutlery holders, sitting atop the the shop's counter, Erasa composed her thoughts. Videl had... somehow managed to remember that she had short hair. It was miraculous to say the least!

She had finally managed to regain a little more than a little crack of information on what had transpired over the last three years, so it only spelled good things for the future. If not just to have her  _best_  friend back but for the sake of Videl's grades, Erasa was over the moon.

Things would finally be right again, they wouldn't have to worry about  _anything_. Exams would be a breeze for all of them—with luck—but it would certainly be a hell of a lot easier to get through them without trying to make sure that someone who was, for all purposes and intents, mentally a fifteen year old, got through them as well.

They'd finally be able to return to the good life, going to parties... being the chicks that everyone wanted to get to know, not the ones that were forced into what was almost social recluse. Grabbing the two forks, her mind considerably lighter than it had been ten minutes ago, she headed back to Videl who was giving her a concerned stare.

"What?" Erasa asked, smiling slyly as Videl continued to stare harder.

"You didn't answer my question and you dropped the tray," Videl said suspiciously as Erasa handed her a fork. "That means I really did have short hair didn't I?"

"Yeah... I thought you had remembered that?" Erasa said, glancing up to face Videl just before she was about to unseal the little plastic bowl of salad.

"No not really, I found a photo of me in one of the photo albums where I keep all my mum's stuff... but more importantly why didn't you tell me?" The hurt was evident within Videl's voice and it was more than enough to make Erasa flinch guiltily.

"Uhh... I-I just figured that it wasn't important given all that was going on," Erasa bit her lip slightly. "Besides it didn't look that great on you anyway."

"Don't try and change the topic Erasa, I'd have expected you of all people to know what that hair meant to me!" Videl snapped with no small amount of anger in her voice.

"You're right..." Erasa admitted shamefully, her attempt at lightening the situation having backfired. "I guess the best way to put it would be that you were going through a little rebellious phase..."

"Rebellious phase?" Videl questioned in disbelief, almost wanting to laugh the notion away. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well exactly that, you wanted to try something different—believe you said something about it being easier if it didn't get in your way while fighting, too." Well it wasn't exactly a lie, she was just not giving out all the details.

"That's stupid," commented Videl, "if it really was getting in the way, I could've tied it up in a ponytail or something."

"Well hey, don't ask me... I tried to talk you out of it," Erasa shrugged, barely holding back a laugh.

"Still though, why wouldn't you have just told me about it?" Videl looked hard at Erasa's eyes, despite being noticeably calmer than she'd been half a minute ago, there was still an air of seriousness about the Satan girl.

"Well there wasn't ever really a reason to tell you, it was just a phase, and besides I know how much your hair meant to you... wasn't too sure if you'd like to hear it," Erasa admitted half-lying.

"I guess, but I still don't really appreciate the idea of someone holding the truth back from me—I mean I don't like having wool pulled over my eyes," Videl sighed as Erasa looked on awkwardly.

If Videl took not knowing about a hairstyle this hard, hard times were ahead.

...

"Thanks for taking me out with you, 'Rasa," Videl said appreciatively as the pair walked through the door to the Satan mansion.

"It was no problem, we needed to catch up anyway and have a bit of girly talk!" squeaked Erasa. In reality they hadn't done all that much talking and the trip had been an awkward experience for both of them despite their efforts to prevent it from being so. However, towards the end of the trip they had finally managed to warm up to each other again—nowhere near what they used to be, but a lot closer than they'd been for a couple of months.

"So what do you have in mind now?" Videl asked as she approached the stairs, her voice only slightly louder than the gentle creaking of the polished stairs.

"Actually kinda need to go to the bathroom," Erasa admitted nervously. "I'll meet you up in your room."

"Ah okay," Videl said, thinking nothing of it as she walked up the stairs towards her room.

Waiting for the Satan girl to completely disappear from view, Erasa sighed heavily as she gathered her thoughts. Photos...

"Crap," she muttered wondering how exactly they had managed to overlook such a simple detail. She wasn't exactly in on the whole thing that Gohan was trying to do—stay away from Videl and all that, she mainly just tried not to mention him too much—but she realised that there would potentially be disastrous consequences if Videl found anything else from her  _past._

She was sure that Gohan would appreciate it too if she stopped Videl from going through any photos. Short hair was something easy to cover up, a photo with Gohan's arm around her neck... not so much.

As her conscious gnawed at her ever so slightly, Erasa took off down the corridor towards a room that she had never been in before, despite having seen the outside of it several times.

It was easy enough to recognise, the doorknob wasn't made out of glass or anything elegant... it was simply wood. She knew what was on the inside of the room and she knew how precious it was to her friend... pausing slightly, Erasa hesitated.

She didn't want to pick sides, she never had... Gohan was a pretty nice guy, one of her closest friends now, while Videl had been by her side since childhood. Before the entire Cell fiasco, back when Mr. Satan had been just another hot-shot martial artist, back when Videl had first lost her mum; the two of them had been through heaven and hell together.

Violating something as sacred as a room that Videl herself didn't like going into would no doubt be a massive breach of trust on her part. Attempting to get her thoughts together, Erasa ran her fingers through her hair as she tried to figure out a peaceful medium between the two clear-cut options that were laid out in front of her.

Either walk away from the whole mess, it wasn't her problem after all, and allow Videl to potentially go through everything that Gohan was trying to hide from her while she acted none-the-wiser of her friend's actions... leaving herself as the only one who knew about her decision to step away. Or, go in and ransack the place. Find every photo from the last three years and take it—maybe just take every photo album that was suspicious—and then do something with them.

She had no idea what exactly she was going to do with the albums once she had acquired them, it wasn't as though she could take them home with her for safekeeping... no, she just needed to prevent Videl from getting to them without letting her realise that she had lost access.

Blocking the door to the room probably wouldn't work given that she was quite sure that her ex-crime fighting friend could easily knock down a door made of titanium but hiding them seemed promising. The only problem was that she had no idea where to hide them... Videl's house was gigantic, sure, but Erasa had no clue where a good spot that was out of Videl's reach was.

Though Erasa had learned that Videl wasn't going to their own little home-gym, she had no doubt that it would be only be a matter of time before she picked up some weights again. The guest rooms were too dangerous, a maid could find them and report their discovery to Videl, and finding some shady corner probably wouldn't work out all too well knowing her luck.

Suddenly Erasa's head rose up simultaneously with a thought that had just surfaced within her head. Mr. Satan was in on the entire thing, he was probably a co-conspirator with Gohan in the whole mess, if she could draw Videl away from the room for the rest of the day and get Mr. Satan to take care of it for her it would be a win-win situation.

The only problem though was that he wasn't home at the moment and it wasn't as though she had a means of contacting him. His phone number was available on a strict need-to-know basis and she had never really needed it, given that she had both their home number and Videl's mobile.

Leaving a message with someone else would be too dangerous, she didn't actually know any of the people that worked at the little mansion and she wasn't sure if she could chance staying locked up in Videl's room until Mr. Satan appeared, and then tell him about the photo albums while she was out of earshot. No... knowing her luck that wouldn't work and she didn't quite want to risk it.

She'd have to find out exactly what else Videl had seen, but given that she had only mentioned her hair, it was probably safe to assume that there wasn't much to worry about. Videl wasn't the type to let things slide.

How was she meant to discreetly get in contact with Mr. Satan though? She knew that his room was relatively left alone by maids and the lot except for the daily cleaning that each room in the house went through, and it was going to start getting dark out so it wasn't a longshot to assume that it had already been cleaned. Sneaking in there wasn't a problem either, it was more a question of what she would do once she was in. Erasa needed to warn him somehow, give him a sign... just let him know that he needed to be careful or something. A note perhaps? She could leave one somewhere but she'd have to be cautious about it. She needed to account for the fact that someone else could potentially see... it needed to be something that only Hercule would understand, but something that was detailed enough to let him know what was going on.

That or she needed a really good hiding spot. She didn't have a piece of paper or a pen on her but she was almost positive that he'd have something in his room being the big business person that he was and all, so all she needed to do now was come up with a message.

Unsure of what exactly it was that she was going to pen down, Erasa headed off towards Mr. Satan's room. It wasn't too far away from Videl's mum's little memorial, she suspected that the reason for that was probably because Videl wasn't the only one who visited it, contrary to what the raven haired girl probably thought.

She had only been into his room a couple of times, generally when she and Videl were trying to sneak something out of there or mess something up back when they were kids, however it was still easily distinguishable from the other rooms in the house. There weren't any other rooms in the immediate vicinity of it and it wasn't by any means hard to find.

Gently rapping on the door when she found it, just to make sure there wasn't anyone inside, Erasa waited for a few seconds before breathing heavily and turning the doorknob. The room wasn't all that she had expected it to be, sure it was large but there wasn't anything that flaunted the fact that Hercule was a multi-billionaire.

The windows and lights were fancy but Erasa was certain that she had been in more luxurious looking hotels. Sighing slightly, she walked over to his bed and sat down on it as she attempted to find some kind of sign that she could give to Mr. Satan. There wasn't a desk or a piece of paper visible anywhere, she was almost positive that she wouldn't find anything in the bathroom and there wasn't even a pencil for her to scribble something down on somewhere.

However there was a side-table next to the bed made out of mahogany wood, while Erasa had initially wanted to respect Mr. Satan's privacy and whatnot taking a peek was slowly becoming her only option. Surely he'd have some kind of material to write on in there?

Closing her eyes slightly, she sighed as she mentally went over what she could do... returning to  _that_  room wasn't an option; she wasn't going there when she had found a way out. Waiting for Mr. Satan to appear wasn't an option either, she didn't know where he was and it wasn't as though she could stay with Videl for the entire day while preventing the girl from showing her an example of her former hairstyle. It was too dangerous... a page or two past that photo would no doubt be one of her and Gohan. She recalled something about a camera after Videl had cut her hair anyway.

The best she could do was to probably leave Mr. Satan a message that Videl had rediscovered something, knowing her she was bound to go back sometime soon while she attempted to keep the Satan girl away from the house until he got back. It really was her only choice, the only decent choice anyway.

And besides opening the drawers of a side-table was mild in comparison to raiding the little shrine the Satan family had put together for Videl's mother. With a small huff she pulled open the top drawer and looked around. There were all kinds of junk within it but at the moment Erasa wasn't interested in any of it.

After digging her way through a small pile of odd stuff, she found a pen. It was a fairly expensive looking rollerball pen, complete with a small jewel on top, but it would do the job. Pulling it out of the drawer as she slid it shut, Erasa opened the second one, noting that it was kept in a much more organised fashion.

There was a neat stack of a few pieces of paper, however a quick glance at them told her that they all had some kind of printing on them. Grabbing the top one from the pile, she found that it was some medical form. She really couldn't be bothered to read the rest of the details.

It would have to do, she was sure Hercule would rather have to reprint a medical form than deal with the other option. Closing the bottom drawer, she flipped the piece of paper over and placed it on the side table, which was void of other objects for the most part.

She was cautious enough to write a few keywords that only a few would be able to understand just in case it fell into the wrong hands as opposed to a long-drawn out paragraph explaining the whole situation. Mr. Satan would contact her if he deemed it necessary.

' _Del, mum's room, photos, short hair - E.'_ It'd been quite a while since anyone had called her "E", Videl had picked up the habit and given it up within the last two or so years but she was sure that Hercule would recognise it. Besides she was the only one apart from Mr. Satan who dared to call Videl by a variety of nicknames.

Going over the words again in ink, Erasa made sure to pierce the paper so that a slight indent would be visible on the other side. Reading her words one final time and giving a satisfied nod, the blonde girl flipped the piece of paper over again before depositing the pen back within the top drawer.

Sighing to herself as she made her way out of the door, Erasa reached for her phone. She had the perfect way to distract Videl for the next few hours, she needed to have her  _first_  glass of alcohol.

…

"What do you mean we're going to a bar?" Videl all but yelled, "I can't get drunk, I'm-"

"Only eighteen?" Erasa smirked as a sudden look of realisation came upon Videl's face. "Yep, that's right you're old enough to get drunk."

"Wait... no... not like this," Videl sighed. "It's not right, I'm hardly eighteen and besides I've got a reputation to keep."

"Hardly eighteen," Erasa laughed a little. "You're old enough and given everything that's happened so far, I'm sure we could both use a bit of a drink to unwind... besides it's not like you hadn't had alcohol before you hit eighteen anyway."

An almost shocked look appeared on Videl's face, Erasa was more than aware that the girl had initially been very careful around alcohol as a child—she recalled her mother being a rather heavy drinker.

"Trust me, it's not as bad as they used to make it sound. You'll like it, and hey if you don't you can at least come along to the bar with me and check out hot guys like any good best friend would." Erasa knew that she was guilt-tripping Videl  _hard_ , the girl would do anything if Erasa so much as mentioned that she had done it before the incident.

"What about driving?" Videl asked, looking for an excuse to escape. "There's no way we're driving drunk... alcohol's one thing but being a moron's a complete other."

Erasa rolled her eyes dramatically, "That's what I've got this for," Erasa gestured towards the phone in her hands. "What did you say that Mark guy's number was?"

"Wait, why are we taking him?" Videl asked, almost flustered.

"Well, he's a chauffeur for starters and second if there aren't any cute guys there we can always get him drunk and take things from there—always have a back-up plan..." Erasa chuckled as Videl gave her a sharp glare. "Sheesh I'm just kidding Vi, loosen up."

"Sorry," Videl sighed. "I'm just nervous... I've never had alcohol before, well I don't remember having it and it's not exactly the best thing in the world to try out."

"Relax," Erasa said, a soothing tone to her voice. "With all the stuff you've had to put up with, you deserve to get a little drunk, it's my responsibility to make sure you have a good time."

"But we've got school tomorrow!" Videl protested, having finally found a point and eager to capitalise on it.

"That makes it even better, and besides we'll be back by around ten." Well a little lie never hurt anyone, and Videl was particularly tense at the moment.

Videl sighed slightly before pulling out her own phone and handing it towards Erasa. "His number's somewhere in there, call him from my phone."

Within about half an hour, both Erasa and Videl heard the doorbell ring. While they were waiting on Mark to show up, they had spent their time talking primarily about Erasa and her life. The blonde girl had realised that Videl was missing out on a number of details about events that had occurred during the last few years involving herself, so she had been eager to enlighten Videl.

Propping herself up from her position on Videl's bed, Erasa headed to the bedroom door as she waited for Videl to follow her. The Satan girl had managed to skillfully avoid getting changed into a pair of clothes more  _appropriate_  for a bar, arguing that the ones that she had gone shopping in were good enough and even threatening to not come. After that, Erasa had to budge on the clothes but it was a minor compromise for what would hopefully be an eventful evening.

As Videl caught up to her, Erasa turned the door as she headed towards the front door, a slight skip in her step. "Can't wait to see if this Mark guy's as cute as you say he is."

Smirking slightly as she noticed her raven-haired friend blush slightly, Erasa shot her a knowing look. She really didn't have a clue who this Mark-person was but she did know that she wasn't doing anything to prevent any interaction between the pair. Romantic or not. Gohan had decided to step away from Videl, a decision which she didn't quite understand but still respected, so she wasn't going to allow her friend to become stunted in the romantic department.

But then again, it was  _Videl_. She wouldn't know if a guy was trying to come onto her if they jumped on her, a trait which both she and Gohan shared. It was a shame that they'd had to drift apart, they had been a pretty good couple. Hell, she wouldn't have complained if she was the one who had ended up with Gohan, but that wasn't an option now. He was more a brother to her and she, a sister to him more than anything... it would be awkward.

When they reached the front door, Videl opened it after stuttering a little. Her face was still red and she was looking down to the ground with what looked like a smile on her face—was  _the_  Videl Satan nervous? Erasa almost wished she had a camera on her to capture the moment.

As the door swung open, Erasa was fairly surprised to find a confident young man leaning casually against a wall. Immediately she couldn't help but compare his physical characteristics to that of Gohan's... it was just an impulse. His hair wasn't anywhere near as spiky as Gohan's, it was short and didn't quite stand up but it wasn't completely flat either. It was a light honey-brown colour but not dark enough to be considered blond.

His face was clean shaven so she wasn't able to get a closer look at what exactly the colour of his hair was, but she did note that he was considerably shorter than Gohan. The Son boy was fairly tall, nothing out of the box, but Mark was just a couple inches taller than Videl—who was one of the shortest people Erasa knew. His eyes, as opposed to Gohan's onyx-like ones were a vibrant jade-green; they looked familiar but she knew that was a far-from common colour.

He was actually dressed pretty well, he didn't look like a chauffeur but more like someone their age. He pulled off the leather-jacket a lot better than Erasa had ever seen Sharpner do but he did lose slight points with his pants which looked rather awkward.

All in all, he wasn't bad... not bad at all.

"So where to Miss Satan?" he said, taking a courteous bow for emphasis.

"I'm not even sure," Videl admitted as she kicked at the ground slightly before glancing at her. "Erasa's in charge of navigation today."

"Erasa?" he repeated as he stuck out his hand before continuing, "I'm Mark, pleasure to meet you."

She shook. "Yep, I've heard all kinds of things from Videl about you." The blonde laughed slightly as she noticed her friend grit her teeth in embarrassment.

"Heh, well I hope I'm not as bad as she made me out to be," he chuckled jokingly. "So anywhere, got a specific place in mind?" he asked as he twirled the car-keys around his fingers.

"Well there's this little place that I want to try out, it's called Portia's..."

…

Videl smiled as Erasa laughed contagiously, while the older girl had barely had anything to drink she was certainly enjoying herself. Videl had to say that the place wasn't half bad either, it wasn't buzzing with activity but it was far from empty. She was glad to find that no-one had recognised her yet though, it was a welcome surprise to be able to just be herself. She'd barely gone anywhere save for school as far as she could remember because of people who were too eager to find out details about herself, heads had been turning in her direction everywhere they went when they had gone shopping earlier too.

Alcohol was odd... it tasted horrible yet great at the same time. She'd talked Erasa into just letting her have a wine but the bubbly blond had been insistent that she drank more than a glass; Videl would've been hard pressed to say that she didn't enjoy the feeling of the liquid rolling down her throat but at the same time she didn't quite like the sour aftertaste it left. She was a little tipsy and her head didn't exactly feel clear but everything felt nice, as though nothing had been going wrong lately.

Like there was no chemistry test that she had almost failed, like there was no syllabus that she had to catch up to, like there was no sudden shift in her life that she had to adjust to... she felt like falling into a deep slumber but at the same time it felt as though she'd never had more energy.

Her hand was sloppy, she noticed as she used it to guide herself onto a bar stool. She briefly contemplated reaching across to her glass of wine before deciding against it and turning around, opting to expect the bar instead. It was a quiet little place, not exactly the bustling nightclub she had expected to be dragged to, but there were plenty of people on the dance floor swaying along to the light jazz music that was being played.

Erasa, naturally, was among those people. She wasn't quite sure how the blonde had managed to develop into such a... charismatic... person but it wasn't surprising given how the girl had always been. The majority of her body was obstructed from view by several other drunken dancers but it was clear to Videl that her friend was enjoying herself, something which eased a little guilt of off the ex-crimefighter's face. She had been nothing but a hindrance to Erasa the last couple of months, she wasn't the friend that she was meant to be and she practically needed to be baby-sat by the girl.

It was almost as though she was a small child, she couldn't do much without her friend's guidance. Knowing who was who and what was what? That was Erasa's domain. Understanding homework? Erasa's domain. Having fun? Once again, Erasa's domain. Videl was almost positive that she had to have been getting sick of it by now, so it felt good to know that her friend was also getting a chance to unwind.

Looking away from Erasa, she turned towards Mark. She wasn't all that sure of what to make of the guy, he was pretty funny and as Erasa had hinted no short amount of times throughout their car ride... good looking. But at the same time she had barely met the guy, and she definitely hadn't lowered her guard around the guy—all small talk aside. She  _hated_  sounding arrogant, but who wouldn't want to become an accomplice of Videl Satan?

She was rich, famous and she knew people. Well actually she was only really famous, the rest of the things were her father's. But nevertheless there had been no shortage of secret best friends and boyfriends or people 'who she owed a favour' surfacing in the last few months. While they'd stopped appearing because most people had realised that the raven-haired girl was having none of it, it wouldn't be out of the question to say that Mark was one of those people. That said, he hadn't appeared to have had any ulterior motive other than the extra money that he gained from being her chauffeur.

Eyeing him carefully as he leaned against the pool table, a trickle of sweat visible on his forehead, Videl noted that he'd abandoned his leather jacket somewhere. There was a glass of some golden liquid beside him but she noticed that he was hesitant to have more than a sip or two. She realised that it was probably because someone would have to drive them back and being caught drunk on the job would result in at least a definite reprimand.

Sighing she lightly massaged her temples as she spun around once more before reaching for her drink. Glancing at the large digital clock up on the wall as she slowly sipped the red liquid, Videl sighed. It was almost nine in the evening and considering that it wasn't exactly close to her house, they would need to make a move sometime soon unless they felt like being sleep-deprived at school the next day.

Spinning around again, drink still in hand, Videl began to get off the bar stool before looking at the goofy smile upon Erasa's face as she talked to some random guy and hesitating. With a light smile upon her face, Videl's face softened as she took another sip of her drink.

Somehow, she couldn't find it in herself to care about school anymore. It was something that she would worry about tomorrow but for now, it was time to have a little fun. She hadn't had any in a  _long_  while and she reckoned that she owed it to both herself and Erasa to enjoy the night. Jumping off the barstool, she dragged herself over to Mark and joined him as he stuck the balls on the pool table with the cue.

"Nice shot," she complimented even though she had virtually next to no idea of how to play.

"Heh not really," he chuckled slightly. "I missed."

She laughed awkwardly as she grabbed the cue on the other side of the table and gripped it. "I don't suppose you have any idea how to play?"

"Professionally? No, although I do know the basics," said Mark as he looked towards her to explain. "Basically you've got to use the white one, the cue ball, to pocket all the other balls except for the black one, the eight ball."

"Does it matter which type of ball we hit?" asked Videl as she gestured towards the different kinds of balls, striped and solid coloured.

"Yes actually, you can hit anyone of them until the first ball's pocketed. After that you need to keep hitting the same type of ball, while the other person hits the other type. Oh and also, if you manage to pocket a ball you get to repeat your turn, but if you miss all of them like I just did or knock them off the table, you foul which allows the other player to position the cue ball in any spot that they'd like."

Videl screwed up her face, most of the information was going over her head but she acted as though she understood most of it. "Alright, so do I go now?"

"Might as well," Mark nodded as he gestured for her to strike the white cue ball.

…

"Wake up Vi," Erasa said as she roughly shook her friend. The younger girl had long since fallen asleep during the car ride, probably having had too much to drink, but she and Mark had decided to allow her to rest. However they were now at the front gate of Videl's house and Erasa was sure that Mr. Satan wouldn't appreciate his daughter's chauffeur and her best friend bringing her in passed out before a school night.

In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best idea to leave at such a time that they'd only reach Videl's house at two in the morning when they had to be at school in a mere six hours, but Erasa had enjoyed the night. She'd managed to talk to a couple of pretty cool people at the bar and she had even gotten to know Mark a little better on their trip back from the bar.

He was quite the gentleman, she had found, Erasa couldn't even remember the last time that she had met someone with such chivalrous manners. But the interesting thing was that they were like a switch; they could be turned on or off at whim, one second he'd be helping you in the door, the next he'd be recounting about how he got smashed during on his graduation night.

Erasa's trail of thought was interrupted when she saw Videl start to budge slightly and with a smile she helped her friend up onto the seat. Videl's face was that of an inexperienced drunk young girl but Erasa couldn't help herself from laughing a little at the sight, it wasn't everyday that you got to see the ex-crimefighter in such a dazed and vulnerable state. A rather interesting flip of the script.

"Huh?" Videl asked lazily, "Where am I?"

"Home," Erasa answered as she opened the car's door, where Mark was patiently waiting outside. Leading the Satan girl out of the car, she thanked Mark for his help before informing him that his duty was done for the night and that they'd be able to make it back in just fine despite Videl's state.

Letting Videl lean upon her for support, Erasa walked towards the front door of the Satan Manor as her hands stumbled upon her body searching for keys. She couldn't remember who had them but soon turned to Videl after she realised that her clothes had no pockets.

"Videl... keys," said Erasa, only able to utter keywords at the moment. Her throat was starting to dry up so hopefully a glass of water from inside would do her good before she set off back to her own house.

"Don't have them," she could feel Videl try and search the insides of her pockets but to no avail. "Try... doorbell."

While Erasa wasn't particularly in the mood for receiving a lecture on being responsible with alcohol and appropriate times and places to drink, it beat shivering outside in the cold wind by a lot. Hesitantly she pressed the doorbell before awkwardly spinning around as she hoped to avoid the eye-contact of whoever answered the door, however when she did so she noticed Mark leaning against the car coolly as he watched them with a sleepy expression on his face.

"You know I said you could leave!" yelled Erasa, regretting using such a loud volume to do so when she  _felt_  Videl wince.

"Well what if no-one answers the door? I couldn't just leave the two of you here like this!" She heard him yell back, only sighing heavily in response.

Closing her eyes and drifting off for a moment, Erasa looked up as she heard the front door open. It took her a little bit more than a moment to recognise the person who answered the day as Videl's butler however once she did she felt a little relieved that it was him rather than someone else. He was a lot more understanding than Videl's father when it came to things that would normally be frowned upon by society.

"Ah Miss Erasa, what would a young lady such as yourself be doing at this time?" Albert asked humorously as he held the door open.

Erasa just grimaced before she passed Videl's wobbly frame over to the much older man, "We had a little too much to drink." She spun around once again and lazily waved a hand to Mark who gave her a firm nod before sitting down in the car.

After watching the brown-haired boy drive off, Erasa walked through the open door to the Satan Manor intent on getting a cool glass of water before embarking on a long quest back to her home. However as she reached the kitchen, she accidentally bumped into a large figure and was sent stumbling backwards slightly. Managing to catch herself despite her drunken state, she looked to see what she had bumped into only to find herself looking straight into the menacing brown eyes of Mr. Satan.

…

Sighing as she walked away from her locker, Videl swung her backpack over her shoulder as she looked down at the ground. It hadn't been a good idea to let Erasa talk her into going to a bar on a Sunday night because even now, almost two days later, her head was still messed up and her sleep cycle was completely destroyed. Thankfully she had managed to get through all her classes even though she had been in a zombie-like state, but even so, all she really wanted to do was finish off the copious amounts of maths homework the teacher had set her for the night.

It wasn't exactly unfair, as it still beat trying to do stuff that she had no idea how to do, but attempting to catch up with material that normally stretched enough to cover a number of years within a few weeks  _wasn't_  fun. That said, she had more or less caught up with the majority of her other subjects so things weren't going as badly as they could've been.

As she exited the building, she took a quick glance at the sky to figure out whether or not she'd need to put on the jacket in her backpack only to find that the sun had begun to come out. Despite that, the sky was still fairly cloudy and there was quite a breeze outside too. While the wind did send a shiver or two up the back the first time it came in contact with her skin, Videl couldn't find it in herself to be bothered enough to pull out the jacket for her bag and so she slowly slipped down the front steps of Orange Star High School.

Recognising a familiar mop of blonde hair in front of her departing in a car, Videl nodded slightly to Sharpner as she drove away in front of her. Normally she would've opened up the jet-copter capsule that she still kept on her person and flown back home, but as of late she had begun to take to walking to and from school. The feeling of the cool wind brushing against her skin, sending her hair fluttering, and on occasion the odd skirt that Erasa had her wearing flying upwards felt all too natural. It made her feel good... calm... relaxed, it helped ease her nerves and she supposed it was something of a subconscious attempt to keep herself in shape since she had given up training for now.

As much as she missed pumping out numerous Saturday nights in the gym, there simply weren't enough hours to keep herself at such fitness levels anymore especially since she had been taken of the Force. And there wasn't much point in doing it either because of that, if she wasn't able to protect the weak and innocent, what was the point of learning martial arts? She didn't really need to protect herself anymore and she had learned how to adequately defend herself when she was  _six_.

Suddenly a loud gunshot rang out from in front of her and Videl's head snapped forward to the source of the disturbing plea for help that accompanied the loud noise. Diagonally across the intersection was a young girl held in a choke hold by a rather buff looking man and several accomplices. On further inspection, she realised that several of the tough guy's accomplices were squaring off with another bunch of goons; a metre of empty space or so being the only thing that separated them.

While the guns in their hands made Videl have second thoughts for the briefest of seconds, that didn't stop her from charging across the intersection as discreetly as she could and hiding behind a post box. Dropping her backpack to the ground, she pulled out her phone and quickly dialed for the Police however another loud gunshot made her drop the phone as she jumped slightly.

Taking a peek from behind the post box, she saw that they didn't just have pistols with them. They had  _uzis_ , fairly substandard ones, but ones that would put a million holes in whatever it shot at with no care for collateral damage. The young girl seemed to be safe for the moment, so Videl slowly prepared herself to disrupt the situation, uncaring if she wasn't meant to be interfering.

"Give it to me or the girl gets it," the tough guy with the young girl in a choke hold said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pistol. "If you give it to us, we let this bitch go and we'll be on our way... if ya don't I'm going to fire this thing so far through her head that it'll come flying out the other side."

The other guy who she presumed was the leader of the other 'group' merely spat on the ground before responding. "You can do that if you'd like but me and my friends here will make sure that won't be the only bullet that'll go flying."

"You've got five seconds," the man with the hostage said calmly as he waved the pistol in his hand slightly. "Five... four..."

Videl immediately leapt into action without hesitating and sprinted as fast as she could towards the confrontation, managing to deliver a devastating right hook to the man's cheek. While it did force the man to free the hostage, it also forced the man's cohorts to unleash a deadly hailstorm of bullets which in turn caused the other group to return fire.

After the first few bullets flew, adrenalin forced Videl to tackle the young girl to the ground and cover her despite the deep pain in her arm as several bullets managed to pierce her skin. She couldn't exactly gauge how bad the damage was, all she knew was that it hurt terribly but she was able to prevent herself from screaming out in pain because of the rush of energy the situation had sent through her body. Biting down on her lip to prevent herself from drawing attention to herself and the girl she was pinning down, she suddenly heard one of the thugs let out a loud cry.

Peeking up slightly, she saw that the bullets had stopped ricocheting above her head but her ears indicated that they were still being fired. Looking further forward she was surprised to see that the bullets were all being fired towards a single point or rather figure.

A figure in a bright green tunic slowly walked forward, a red cape fluttering in the wind behind him, as he  _grabbed_  every bullet fired with him with his gloved hands. Even though she couldn't see the face of the person because of the orange helmet and dark visor, she immediately recognised him from the several stories that she'd read in the newspaper; it was hard not to prevent herself from whispering the name of her so called "replacement".

"Saiyaman..." She had heard extravagant stories of the man before but witnessing first hand was something entirely different, there was a man catching bullets with his  _hands_ and letting them drop to the ground like dead flies as if it was the most casual thing in the world. Just as she was beginning to get over the craziness of the spectacle in front of her, he disappeared into a blur of green with a small red tint as the thugs around her fell to the ground like dominos.

Within seconds he was helping her and the girl up, letting the both of them wrap an arm around his neck for support as Videl soon realised that she wasn't able to stand because of the injuries she had been dealt. Inspecting them, Videl's eyes widened as she saw a trail of thick blood flowing down her arm however the blood soaked normally-white, oversized shirt was what really caught her eye.

"Miss Satan and Miss Sanders, please hold on tight while I escort the both of you to Satan Hospital."

…


	9. Chapter 9

Videl's eyes shot open as she attempted to gather her surroundings. Within seconds she recognised the somewhat familiar bed as one of Satan Hospital's. While she couldn't exactly remember being injured before, she'd spent the better part of a week here when she first  _discovered_  she had amnesia. The room she was in this time around though, appeared to be a little different.

It wasn't a private, luxurious one designed to make sure the patient was extremely comfortable. Rather, Videl realised that it was in fact a public one and that she wasn't the only patient in the room. There was a single nurse tending to what looked like four people, if she were to include herself, and a couple of other random visitors she didn't recognise. It didn't take long for Videl to realise that just to her right was the young girl—fourteen at most—who she had saved from the thug who'd had her at gunpoint. She seemed to be unconscious but Videl was relieved to notice that the heart monitor beside her was high in amplitude, however she couldn't help but flinch when she noticed that the young girl had long stitches running along her face.

Videl hadn't been able to so much as look at the girl before she was unconscious. In fact the very last thing she remembered was Saiyaman asking to accompany the two of them to the hospital, but it was nice to know that at the end of the day the two of them were safe. Or at least they appeared to be; she noted that the younger girl hadn't woken up yet.

As she began to come to, she tried to sit up only to collapse back onto the bed moments after trying with a loud grunt. The nurse seemed to notice her efforts as she immediately ran over to her, a somewhat excited expression on her face.

"Easy honey, easy," she soothed, the experienced voice of the nurse indicating that she was a little older than Videl had initially suspected her to be. "You were shot only at a few hours ago, there's no hurry."

A wave of pain swept throughout Videl's body as the nurse said the words causing the ex-crimefighter to let out a cry of pain. "I-Is s-she okay?" said Videl through gritted teeth while she managed to gesture towards the girl with some part of her body... she couldn't really tell what it was.

"Miss Sanders isn't in the best of conditions and as you can see there will be a lot of scarring, but thankfully for the both of you the majority of your injuries were flesh wounds." The nurse responded calmly, "however you two did still lose a lot of blood. I'm not sure how exactly you didn't pass out immediately after being shot! You barely avoided requiring a blood transfusion but the doctors didn't want to take their chances with young Miss Sanders over here."

"I-I agree, she looks only fourteen, it would've been a shame, but aren't doctors normally short on blood or something?" questioned Videl as she scrunched up her face; it hurt to talk. "Wouldn't it have made more sense to wait a little longer?"

"While it's true that her condition was far from grave, she's got a history of incidents and is a diabetic. Plus, I'm sure unfavourable light would shine upon the hospital's staff if something happened to her," answered the nurse, a sour tone about her voice..

"Is she someone important or... s-something?" God, she wasn't sure exactly how many bullets had made contact with her, but it sure as hell hurt.

"Kind of, but I'm sure you'll find out soon enough, Miss Satan," the nurse said kindly before bringing her clipboard back to eye-level. Her eyes widened almost immediately in shock as she read the text on it. "Oh no! You weren't given your dose of painkillers half an hour ago!"

The Satan girl clenched her teeth as she attempted to let out a light chuckle. "It's okay, i-it doesn't hurt."

"No, I can't have that..." the nurse said tensely, "It's against hospital procedure to let a patient remain in pain when there's something that can be done about it."

"R-relax," said Videl as she did her best to put on a brave front. "If you're that worried about it why don't you go check what to do with one of the doctors?"

"Good idea, Miss Satan-"

"It's Videl," interjected the Satan heiress as she winced slightly. "But stay here for a w-while, I don't want to be lonely."

"Alright Miss... Videl," the nurse gave a firm nod. "But the second it starts to become too painful, I'm afraid I'll have to run for help."

"I-I guess that's the best I can ask for," Videl gave a small smile. "S-so what's working at a-argh hospital like?"

"I don't actually work here," corrected the nurse with a good natured smile. "I've got a part-time job on the weekends but I volunteer here on weekdays."

"What? Why don't they pay you? You're obviously doing important stuff right now," Videl skewed an eyebrow weakly.

"Well the hospital's been struggling to keep up with funds as of late; private hospital and all that. And I really like it here too, so it's not as though that's a worry."

"Struggling with funds? It sounds pretty stupid that the government's not funding you guys, you're practically the only decent hospital in all of Satan City!" Videl said as she attempted to quell the fire building within her, knowing it would do no good to her in her current state. But she had been to the hospital many times to visit victims as well as a few times to treat her own injuries and the service had been flawless each time.

"Well thanks for that Videl, it means a lot." She smiled a little, "So..."

"... So?" repeated Videl awkwardly, after the woman said nothing.

"Have you really lost your memory?" the nurse asked abruptly, as if she had been fighting the urge to not ask the question. "I mean it's all over the news and everything..."

"Huh?" Videl asked, a little dazed. "Oh... oh yeah, unfortunately. But h-hey, I'm still me."

"Well that's good to hear," chuckled the nurse. "Sounds like you're doing a little better now too."

"Kinda," Videl gave a little shrug as another wave of pain passed through her body. Though mildly weaker than the last one, she almost had to bite down on her tongue to stop herself from screaming out. "S-So how did this entire thing happen anyway?"

"I'm about as clueless as you are," the nurse answered honestly. "All I know is that you and Miss Sanders here were shot and that Saiyaman flew the two of you over here guns blazing."

"Guns blazing?" repeated Videl, not quite understanding.

"Yeah, I'm not sure if that did anything to further damage to your conditions but there were reports of winds exceeding a hundred and thirty kilometres per hour as Saiyaman literally had you thrown into an emergency ward. In fact, if I recall correctly, you were unconcious."

"Saiyaman..." Videl tasted the name on her tongue as she held back another wince. Erasa had told her about the moronic superhero who had returned to save the day again but Videl couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude towards the man for saving her life. "D-did he leave?"

"Saiyaman? Oh yes, he sat around waiting for about five hours before leaving, I'm afraid you missed him," said the nurse as she gestured to the empty chair in Videl's section of the room. "A couple of other people who said they knew you appeared as well, but the doctors decided it was best to make sure that nobody would visit you two unless they were authenticated."

"A-authenticated by who?" Videl said, the expression on her face easing a bit as the pain weakened.

"Your father of course. He was the first one here, aside from Saiyaman, of course," the nurse said as she took a seat beside Videl before explaining. A curious look overcame the raven-haired girl's face, "He had to run off somewhere eventually but he did appear very worried."

"W-well, that's int-interesting," Videl grunted, shutting her eyes as the pain began to surge once more. A short rapping sound rang out through the hospital room, causing her to barely open a single eye.

"It appears that you have some visitors," the nurse said, poking her head around so that she could see the door. "Should I let them in? There are two blon-"

"Yes," Videl gritted her teeth, pain continuing to sweep through her body. Opening her eyes briefly to confirm that the nurse had gone off to retrieve the people she assumed to be Sharpner and Erasa, Videl's body slumped back as she fell into unconsciousness once more.

…

"Aww, isn't that sweet," Erasa laughed a little upon seeing the sleeping form of Videl rolled up almost like a ball.

"I don't understand..." the nurse said, perplexed, "I swear she was awake a second ago!"

"Well it looks like she's asleep now, so I think it's safe to say she's still exhausted," said Sharpner as he eyed the various pieces of equipment set up around the girl's bed.

"Well I guess I'll leave the two of you here to do whatever since I've got to finish my rounds," the nurse said, taking her leave without much hesitation.

"Fair enough," said Erasa, more preoccupied with the various bandages on Videl's body than paying attention to the nurse as she walked out the door. "How many bullets did they say penetrated her skin?"

"About seven, I think. Mr. Satan said that they managed to miss most of the vital organs and those that have didn't damage her too much since they were really cheap quality bullets," answered Sharpner as he traced the various wave forms of Videl's heart on the monitor next to him.

"You can get cheap quality bullets?" Erasa raised an eyebrow somewhat curiously, "I thought that a bullet was a bullet."

"Beats me," Sharpner shrugged his shoulders. "So anyway, reckon this'll finally teach her to stop charging into situations headfirst?"

Erasa laughed softly, however inwardly she was still surprised at how mature her friend had become. Though it had been a few years, it was still hard to get her head around the fact that he was condemning being sporadic rather than condoning it.

"Doubt it, Vi's always been quick to jump." Erasa sighed a little, "So do you know anything about her condition?"

"Yeah, I had a little chat with Mr. Satan. He said that she'll be fine. She was lucky as hell apparently, but she'll probably need to walk on crutches for a week or two."

Erasa winced, "Well I guess it could've been worse..."

"Well considering that the other girl almost fell into a coma, I'd have to say you're right. They're just lucky that Goh-"

"Excuse me," a voice that Erasa didn't quite recognise rang throughout the room. "Is this the room that Sam's in?"

"Sam?" she repeated, confused. "I'm not sure, why don't you come and take a look?" Erasa yelled back as Sharpner looked around the room to see if there was any obvious sign that a "Sam" was in the room.

Seconds later a tall woman stumbled in before gasping slightly. Erasa supposed it wasn't anything out of the ordinary, just your average person would be surprised if they found Videl Satan lying in a hospital bed unconscious, but it wasn't Videl that she was staring at. The look on Sharpner's face instantly told her that he knew the woman too.

"Well look who it is," she said somewhat smugly. "What are the odds of running into you here kid?"

"What're you doing here?" Sharpner dodged the question, obviously not all that excited to meet the woman.

"Well I just thought I'd come and visit my little sister, who was shot up by a bunch of thugs. What are  _you_  doing here?" she placed her hands on her hips playfully despite her somewhat serious tone, leading Erasa to realise that she already knew the answer.

Sharpner sighed in defeat before glancing towards the two hospital beds on which Videl and the young girl laid. "I'm not sure too sure about your sister's condition, but Videl's starting to recover. Apparently she was talking to the nurse that was just here a couple of minutes ago."

"Well isn't that great for her," the woman whose identity Erasa still couldn't put a finger on almost snarled. Seconds later, her face softened slightly as she sighed, "I'm sorry... it's just that the person I talked to on the phone with said that she almost fell into a coma!"

"I guess you'll have to thank Videl when she wakes up then," Erasa interrupted. She didn't know exactly who the woman was but the way she had just talked about Videl did not sit well with the blonde. "After all, she was the one who shielded your little sister with her own body."

The woman blinked slightly at the hostility in the young girl's tone before chuckling slightly, "I guess the masses will love this one: Amnesiac Ex-crimefighter Videl Satan Shields Young Girl With Own Body."

"Masses?" Erasa repeated, taken aback at the absurdity of the woman's response, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Jess Sanders, an interviewer for ZTV. I met Sharpner over here a couple days ago, when I interviewed him on Saiyaman and Videl Satan." She flipped her long brown hair before pulling out a packet of cigarettes and then putting them back in her pocket after realising that she could not smoke in a hospital.

"And so what's that supposed to mean?" Erasa asked, the pitch of her voice rising ever-so-slightly as she wondered exactly what the woman was attempting to gain from mentioning her profession.

"It means that she's only here for her latest scoop," Sharpner said blandly. "What else would a reporter be doing in a hospital eight hours after Videl Satan was shot?"

"Visiting her little sister maybe. Look, I know Videl's encounters with the media haven't always been perfect, but we're not as bad as you think we are," Jess grit her teeth. "Naturally, I was going to have to cover the story—it's where I get my bread and butter, but you make it sound like I was going to twist the story some way."

"Well given your attitude towards Saiyaman, I think it's safe to say you're not exactly the most trustworthy person," said Sharpner with no small amount of bitterness in his voice. It was clear to Erasa that he was serious about defending his friend and that he wouldn't let the no-name reporter go around bad mouthing her, however Erasa's brow furrowed at the mention of Saiyaman. What problem could this silly little reporter have with Gohan?

"It's not my fault that he's abn-"

"He saved your sister's life," Erasa interjected. She didn't like this "Jess" at all, she seemed too arrogant for the blonde's taste, not to mention the way in which she carried herself. Somehow Erasa was almost positive that in front of her was one of the incessant reporters who'd demanded interviews with Videl for  _days_  after she had lost her memory.

"Jeez, calm down! Like I was saying he might be abnormal but perhaps he's not such a freak anymore, although I'm not entirely convinced he might not be that bad a guy," she flipped her hair again in an annoying fashion. At the moment though, Erasa wanted nothing more than to tear it out. Who exactly did she think she was, to come sprouting the rubbish that she was in a room containing people who had been shot not ten hours prior?

"Like I told you before," Sharpner said, a lot calmer than before given that the reporter had stopped  _insulting_  his friend, "Saiyaman is a formidable crimefighter and a trustworthy one." Though she was positive that Jess had not come with any recording devices on her, Erasa felt as though Sharpner was giving an answer akin to one that he would've given if a microphone had been shoved in front of his face.

…

"Something wrong, son?" Goku grinned as his eldest approached him.

"It's Videl..." Gohan wasn't even sure where to begin, there was literally too much on his plate for him to talk.

"Girl problems again huh?" Goku sat down on the grassy field and gestured for his son to follow him, before winking slightly. "Remember to take it slow, your mother was a real sucker for long kisses in the rain and holding hands on romantic walks and all that."

"I told you before dad, there are... complications between me and Videl," said Gohan as he sighed. "With her memory thing, I don't think it's right for me to be a figure in her life like I used to be."

"I still don't understand why you're doing that son," Goku said as he looked towards the sky, almost lost in the fluffy clouds. "But for your sake and mine, I'll just pray you know what you're doing."

"I think I do," Gohan attempted to nod but he himself wasn't entirely convinced. "But that's not the point, there are a couple things I need to ask of you."

"Sounds like you want more favours than advice... figures I was never good at that last bit anyway," the eldest grinned his monkey's smile.

"You were good enough, but anyway... first and foremost: Videl's been shot," Gohan said boldly, surprised when his father's face didn't fall into a confused and surprised mess.

"I know," Goku said bluntly. "It took you around eight hours to come home, what do you think was playing all around the news stations while you were gone? Your mum was pretty worried but the news said that she was expected to make a full recovery..."

"She is, I think, but that's not what I wanted to talk about either. I just wanted to get that out of the way," Gohan sighed slightly. "You've summoned the Eternal Dragon many times right? The most in our entire little gang thing, yeah?"

"Well actually I think Bulma beats me there by a little, but yeah I've seen it many times," answered Goku in a calm voice. Gohan could tell that his father wasn't in one of his 'playing around' moods.

"Good, I've already spoken to Bulma. I just wanted to know what you thought the line between stupidity and selfishness might be?" Gohan said, a gruff tone coating his voice. "I know what I'm planning on doing is probably stupid and I know it might be selfish... but I wanted to know what you thought of those two things."

"Heh stupidity... well when you can wish for pretty much anything, that's bound to be a problem. Say, did I ever tell you the story of how Oolong once wished for the world's softest pair of panties to prevent Emperor Pilaf from succeeding in his attempt to conquer the world?" Goku chuckled a little but continued when he noticed Gohan's unchanging expression. "And I don't think us good guys have made wishes that were ever too selfish, but I guess we tried to revive our friends after they died. Normal people don't all get to cheat death."

"So what if someone died as a result of you being too late to do something? LIke if you'd been a few minutes earlier... they wouldn't have died?"

"I'm not sure son," Goku frowned. "It depends on the situation, but I personally don't believe anyone deserves to die, so if we can bring them back then why not?"

"Okay," Gohan nodded slightly as he bit his lip. "Back when I decided to put Saiyaman's cape on again for the first time in ages, I was a little late to some massive police thing where a bunch of them died since a bunch of terrorists got their hands on a few rocket launchers."

Goku laughed slightly before realising that this wasn't the time nor the topic, "Well Gohan, I wouldn't say that's your fault. I guess you want me to go gather the Dragon Balls then, right?"

"Nope," upon seeing the confused look on his father's face, Gohan continued. "You can still head over to Namek right?"

"Well it's further away than the first one," Goku rubbed his chin as if in deep thought, "but it shouldn't be a problem."

"Well would it be alright if I got you to go ask the Namekians if you can use their Dragon Balls?" Gohan asked timidly.

Goku merely chuckled, "Sure, I don't see why not. What I don't see though is why you're being so... formal. Something wrong?"

"No," Gohan shook his head, "no... I've just been thinking..."

"About?" questioned Goku, a good natured smile on his face. "You need to come out with it and everything."

Gohan let out a frustrated sigh, "Well... I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you... well I figured that maybe we could wish Videl's memory back? It's been a few months and most of the amnesia case studies that I've done usually result in an inability to form  _any_  new memories or permanent memory loss."

"Hmmm," Goku ruffled his son's hair, just as he used to do when Gohan was a mere child. "Well, what do you think the right thing to do is?"

"What do you mean by 'right'?" questioned Gohan, deciding to humour his father. Though the man usually wasn't the greatest source of wit, he did offer pretty good advice.

"Well I guess your mother would say: 'The greatest good for the greatest number', something about utilisinarianism or something, but I'd say  _right_  is what you think is the best outcome. Deep down in your heart after you've thought about it from everyone's perspectives."

"I guess it's for the best if we wish her memory back, right?" Gohan asked his father rhetorically, "I mean even if I don't think I-I... we should be a part of each other's lives anymore, it would be wrong to allow her life to fall apart the way it is..."

"If you think that's right son, then it probably is." Goku nodded, "So how do you want to do this?"

"I'm not that sure if I do..." Gohan muttered before speaking up, "I was thinking, could you possibly head over to Namek and ask them if we can use their Dragon Balls? It would make sense to summon Porguna instead of Shenron too if we need to make three wishes."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Goku nodded. "Would you like me to head over there now?"

"Yeah, I'd appreciate it. I've gotta study for a while but make sure you grab me before you summon the dragon."

Sharpner drummed his fingers boredly against the desk, looking around the almost empty hospital room. He was the only person awake within it, the reporter having left a few hours ago while Erasa had long-since fallen asleep beside him.

It was kind of the hospital staff to provide a desk and a few chairs for them to watch Videl by, once Erasa had made it clear that she didn't intend to leave anytime soon, but Sharpner couldn't help but wince as the cheap chair bit into his skin. It was about two in the afternoon, drizzling slightly by the looks of it, but the blonde jock didn't mind spending his Saturday cooped up in a hospital room. It wasn't like he'd have anything better to do anyway, it was too dark a day for anyone to be having a party and they normally occurred at night anyway.

Some part of him told him that popping home and grabbing his textbook to finish of the biology homework he had wasn't a bad idea, but his muscles were too lazy to move. His eyelids were starting to get heavy but his mind was still very much awake, so the blond opted to simply sit there, slouched over the table in silence as he pondered upon the many happenings of the universe.

Besides, Brains would probably be able to help him out on Monday morning anyway. As he thought about his half-alien friend, he frowned slightly. The situation with Gohan and Videl wasn't one that interested him, though they were both his friends he couldn't care much less about it. However it was the current one that had him interested, the one that ended with Videl and a younger girl in a hospital after being shot up.

As far as the story went, Videl had jumped in to save the young girl even though she wasn't a part of the Force anymore, resulting in shots being fired at the both of them instead of just the girl. Then, Gohan had appeared in his cape and saved the day, except he was a little late in doing so. However, Sharpner couldn't help but question what Videl was doing by the girl in the first place.

Perhaps she was walking home, but Sharpner was almost positive that Mr. Satan had arranged a chauffeur after she had lost her memory. Why would she walk when she could be driven? Hell, she had a massive jet-copter too... why on Earth would she walk? Then there was the fact that Videl had jumped in to save the young girl from a mob, some kind of cartel or something Sharpner presumed. But what was a young girl doing cornered by a mob? The situation didn't sound like one where they were attempting to have their  _way_  with the girl, since they were rather heavily armed... at least as far as a mob went.

Then that the girl just so happened to be the little sister of that smoking hot yet mannerless reporter? The one who openly called Gohan a freak in front of him, the one who had given him her number. Sharpner's let out a grunt of annoyance. Something didn't add up and he couldn't put his finger on just what it was, but his head was hurting because of it.

He supposed it was entirely possible that he was looking too far into things, but then again a few years ago he had found out that the nerdiest person in their entire school had defeated the green-monster that had once threatened the  _entire_ planet. Sighing, he returned to drumming his fingers on the table in boredom until suddenly a light knocking sound rang throughout the room.

Sharpner wasn't entirely sure why everyone seemed to be knocking on the room's door as though they were expecting the unconscious patients to answer, but he supposed it was something of a hospitality. Watching as the door creaked open slowly, his eyebrows raised as he saw a young man, likely not a year or two older than him step through into the room. It was dark and the only source of light he had had for the last few hours had been whatever dimming natural light that managed to creep through the half-open window, so he wasn't sure if he recognised the entering figure.

"You are?" he asked half-boredly, half-curiously.

"A friend of Videl's," he said nonchalantly. "Just here to see her and all that, I heard she got shot..."

"Woah, woah, woah, I'm a good friend of Videl and I don't think I've ever seen you before," Sharpner said suspiciously. After the whole thing with that shifty journalist, he wasn't sure if he had a right to be as suspicious as he was.

"Ah right, you're Sharpner," the young man said as though something had clicked before extending a hand to the blond boy. "Name's Mark, I'm Videl's chauffeur."

Sharpner shook it, however his eyes squinted, an aura of distrust circulating around the boy. "Her chauffeur huh? So I'd suppose you'll know why exactly she was walking around, and just so happened to stumble upon a-"

Erasa stirred slightly before sitting up with a moan, interrupting the two. "W-what's going on?" she asked sleepily, "And why are you two so loud?"

"Sorry," Mark said sheepishly. "But as for why how all this happened, I don't have a clue, she doesn't always take a ride home with me."

"What do you mean  _she doesn't always take a ride home_ with you?" Sharpner almost spat, "You're paid to take her from Location A to Location B, do you know how irresponsible it is to allow her to just 'walk around' in her condition?"

"Relax Sharpie, take a deep breath," Erasa cooed almost chillingly as she interpreted the situation. "I want you to meet Mark, he's a-"

"We've already met," Sharpner said venomously as Mark just kicked the ground awkwardly.

"Yeah, okay, I got that. He's a friend of Videl and I, so lay off a bit," she laughed, dispelling the tense situation. "So anyway what brings you here Mark?"

"I just came to visit Videl," he said innocently. "I heard that she had been shot after attempting to save someone."

"Yea," Erasa rolled her eyes, "Vi loves playing the hero. At least she saved a young girl's life this time... but more importantly did you bring flowers?" Erasa grinned as a nervous look appeared on the boy's face.

"N-no," he stammered, "I was going to check if she was awake first. I figured she wouldn't be too appreciative if I brought them to her while she was awake."

Even though Erasa seemed to be relaxed enough with the boy, Sharpner was anything but. As they continued to make small talk, the long-haired boy glared skeptically at the chauffer.

…

Gohan looked up suddenly from his textbook as a form materialised beside him, startling the demi-Saiyan ever so slightly.

"So are the Namekians fine with it?" he asked his father, standing up from the chair and pushing it in.

"Yep, it took me awhile to get there since the place is so far away, but I've been practicing" Goku nodded. " And they've got Porunga all called out and everything."

"Alrighty then, let's go," Gohan reached out to his father's shoulder and grabbed it firmly as the man raised two fingers to his forehead.

A concentrated look appeared on Goku face as he attempted to once again lock onto the Ki of one of the beings on New Namek, gritting his teeth slightly as he did so.

' _Interplanetary transportation is probably pretty hard,_ ' thought Gohan. He'd have to ask his dad at some point if it was harder to access the Other World or distant planets such as New Namek, it surely would be interesting to find out. Even though he had once ventured out into it himself, since coming to high school he hadn't had much to do with outer space. What made the whole thing particularly interesting was the fact that the Other World was technically a part of another dimension, while New Namek was on the corners of the North Quadrant of their galaxy. Shaking his head slightly, realising that his nerves had sent him off track, he sighed in anticipation.

As his father took his time to prepare his 'instant' transport technique, Gohan couldn't help but frown as he wondered how exactly it was best to phrase things. The first two wishes were easy, however the third one involving Videl would be the most difficult.

Was he meant to just wish that she magically got her memory back? What would all the psychiatrists, neurologists and the like that specialised in amnesia have to say about the sudden miracle? He supposed that was just being overly cautious about the whole thing; after all there were many cases of still unexplained medical phenomena, but that was only half of the issue. Or well, making the wish wasn't exactly the problem, it was the aftermath of it.

How would Videl react, waking up in a hospital bed after having been shot, suddenly remembering everything she couldn't before? How would he face her? He wasn't idiotic enough to believe she wouldn't seek him out for answers after she regained his memory, but would he be able to look her in the face?

With a grunt, Gohan pushed his worries to the back of his head. This was one of the things that you needed to worry about on the fly. He had to channel his father a bit and do what was right without thinking all that much about the consequences. He wasn't  _that_  gutless, he wasn't going to back out when he could finally help her after staying quiet in the background for a few months now. A determined look upon his face, Gohan looked up from the ground to see the bemused face of his father staring back at him.

"Ready to go yet?" teased Goku, clearing having seen the inner-conflict Gohan had been going through on the young man's face.

"Y-yeah," Gohan stuttered slightly. Pushing harder against his forehead with the two fingers touching it, Goku's right eyebrow tensed as the pair vanished.

The next thing Gohan could see, aftering travelling so far that he didn't think it could be accurately conveyed with a number, was the dark and gloomy sky of the normally nightless, new Planet Namek.

Porunga was waiting, as impatient as ever as it hovered over the few gathered Namekians with a sense of omnipotence. Goku and Gohan had appeared right in the middle of the circle that they had formed, the former rather surprised as the small crowd that had appeared during his quest to retrieve his son.

An aged Namekian stepped forward, "Ah young Gohan, you seem a lot different than the little boy who so bravely fought Frieza and his forces on Namek all those years ago."

"Thanks, I guess," Gohan rubbed the back of his neck in a habit that he had picked up from his father. "It's good to see that you haven't changed one bit Moori."

"Oh ho ho, I wish that I was still as youthful as I had been, but now is not the time to reminisce on the past." The elder opened his eyes as he gestured towards the dragon before him.

" **I shall grant any three wishes that you desire, speak them now or forever be silent.** " The normally kind dragon's voice echoed throughout the land.

"I guess we took a bit too long," Goku grinned. "Anyway, Gohan, do you want to tell Moori what your wishes are?"

"Yep," Gohan said stepping forwards. "I wish that the humans of Planet Earth who died on the night I became Saiyaman again be brought back to life."

Moori translated the words into his mother tongue, which oddly sounded like a lot of gibberish to Gohan. It probably wouldn't hurt to seek out Piccolo and find out more about the Namekian language; you could never know too much after all.

" **I see,** " the Eternal Dragon of Namek said as its eyes glowed dark red. " **It is done. What is your next wish?** "

"I wish that everyone currently on Planet Earth has their memories altered so that they do not remember the deaths of those you have just revived," Gohan said, having long-since thought out the phrasing of the wish.

Once again Moori translated without hesitation. The young half-Saiyan noted the perplexed tone which overcame the dragon's face as the elder spoke but thought nothing of it once the dragon's eyes glowed red again.

" **That was a difficult wish to grant but it has been done. Now, what is your third and final wish?** " its voice echoed heavily as Gohan heard the accompanying  _boom_  of thunder.

Gohan gulped nervously. This was it, he was about to fix things... Videl would have her memory back, things could even become normal again. Somehow he doubted that but at least if she had her memories back, high school wouldn't be a problem; she wouldn't be sacrificing her education for his own selfish reasons.

Wiping a trickle of sweat from his forehead, he took a step closer to the dragon as though he were asking it directly to grant his wish. "I wish for the one known as Videl Satan to regain all the memories she had approximately four months ago."

Gohan had figured that it would make sense that she didn't regain the countless memories of her staring up at the ceiling in her crib as a baby of a few months old. Moori complied, translating it word for word, sending a slight sense of relief coursing through Gohan.

' _This is it,_ ' he thought, watching avidly as the dragon's eyes turned red once more.

However, the next words that the dragon said sent chills down the young boy's spine. " **Such a wish is beyond my power.** "

…


	10. Chapter 10

Gohan inhaled a sharp breath of air, almost unable to believe that he had heard the dragon's words right. How could Porunga, an even  _stronger_  dragon than Shenron, be unable to grant his wish?

"... What?" asked Goku, his eyebrows knitted in confusion. Almost as though he were looking for an explanation, he shot a quick glance towards Gohan only to receive a similar look from his son. The Namekians surrounding the father-son duo quickly broke into loud chatter.

" **As I said before, such a wish is beyond my power.** " Shenron bellowed deeply, much to the shock of everyone present.

' _This shouldn't be possible_ ,' thought Gohan, clenching a fist and gritting his teeth slightly as he attempted to hold back his frustration. ' _Surely Porunga can restore her memories, he's recreated an entire planet before!'_

"And why can't you?" questioned Gohan, immediately figuring that the matter could be resolved if he found a quick loophole. He was good at finding those, the little technicalities that everyone liked to overlook.

" **I am unsure,** " the dragon responded. " **It seems that I am not physically capable of granting the wish, now make another wish so that I may return to my slumber.** "

"Moori, what's he talking about?" asked Goku as he frowned, "There's no way that something as easy as restoring Videl's memories would be too hard for it!"

"I..." Moori stuttered at a loss for words, "have never encountered a situation quite like this before. Despite my age, I do not know why Porunga is incapable of granting the wish."

"Perhaps it has something to do with Elder Guru?" suggested the Namekian who had stepped up earlier to translate. "He created the Eternal Dragon after all."

"Perhaps," said Moori, an emotionless-yet-regretful tone to his voice. "I should bring this up with the remaining elders and see if there are any potential reasons."

"Doing that's not going to help!" exclaimed Gohan, his body trembling more and more with every word that he spoke. The entire time that Videl had been suffering from amnesia, he had known that the Dragon Balls were almost in his back pocket... but now, he felt so... so powerless.

"Calm down, son," Goku clasped a hand onto his son's shoulder. "There's nothing that they can do about this... why don't you try it again with different words or something?"

"I'm afraid that it doesn't work li-"

"It's worth a shot," said Moori decisively as he narrowed his eyes. "Rephrase your wish and perhaps the dragon will understand it better."

"... What's the point?" choked Gohan, doing almost everything he could to prevent himself from pulling his hair out right there. "It's probably not going to work anyway."

"I'll do it then," sighed Goku, as he eyed Porunga, almost like he was sizing the dragon up. Walking forward a few steps, he spoke. "I wish that Videl regains all the memories she's lost in the last few months!"

Sighing, the Namekian that had aided with the translation shot a quick glance at Gohan who was muttering a quick string of curses, before following after Goku. Dropping to a knee once again, he made his wish to the dragon in a pleading tone.

" **It cannot be done!** " the dragon's voice echoed, its eyes failing to glow red this time.

"Why?" asked Gohan, a third time. "All you have to do is fix up her memory, it's not a wish with bad intentions or anything!"

"Yeah, and it's not like a cool dragon like you couldn't bend the rules this one time," Goku attempted to half-heartedly barter with it, however the dragon shook its head.

" **I was not created for this purpose and as such, cannot be used for such a purpose. It is impossible for me to alter something like my abilities, so I will ask you one final time to ask another wish!** " the dragon bellowed, seeming ready to blow his fuse.

"Stop," Moori held up a hand, attracting the dragon's attention. "I am Moori, one of Elder Guru's oldest children and the current guardian of this planet."

" **I am aware of who you are** ," stated the dragon, its voice not changing in the slightest. " **However my patience is beginning to wear thin.** "

"Answer me and you will be able to take your leave a lot sooner than you would if you chose not to," Moori reasoned. "What limitation would granting such a wish violate, perhaps the one that prevents you from using your powers for evil?"

" **I am unsure,** " the great dragon admitted as it bowed its head in shame. " **I simply cannot grant the wish, however I would assume that it stems from the fact that the mental condition of this person... appears to be natural.** "

"Of course it's natural," Gohan honestly tried his hardest to keep himself from screaming, in many cases amnesia was a purely natural occurrence. "But its cause was not!"

" **Perhaps, mortal, but my powers are limited. Now enough with all the games, I would like to take my leave."**

"I suppose all that can be done is to choose another wish," answered Moori. "In the following year, I'll meet with all the others elders and see if we can find a reason for this."

Even though all Gohan wanted to do was punch a massive hole through the ground, he managed to take a large, relaxing breath of air in order to calm himself down. "I guess that's the best we can do..."

"So what else would you like to wish for?" the Namekian who had offered to translate for them, asked.

"Nothing," answered Gohan, "at least that way we'll be able to summon the dragon again quicker."

"Actually," interjected Moori, "I don't believe it works like that. The one hundred and thirty day limit before he can be re-summoned is standard to every single time Porunga is summoned, whether or not even a single wish is made."

"That's different from Earth," commented Goku. "Back home, you could summon Shenron quicker if you didn't use up all his wishes."

"Interesting," said Moori, before looking up at the irritated look on Porunga's face. "Anyway, that's besides the point, I think it's best that we make our wish now."

"What do we wish for then?" asked Gohan, realising that it was best to be rational and not waste a wish. He would worry about Videl later.

"Well, if we can't get Videl's memory back..." said Goku thoughtfully as he raised a finger to his chin, "we could always help her out in another way."

"And how are we going to do that?" Gohan asked, unsure of what his dad was going on about. However he didn't interrupt him because while Goku's decent suggestions were usually far and in between; they were often the results of a stroke of genius.

"You did say that she was having trouble at school, didn't you?" confirmed Goku, Gohan's eyes widening slightly as he realised where his father was taking this. "So why don't we wish for something to help her out at school, it's better than just throwing away a wish and it's also the least we could do?"

"What should we wish for, it's not like wishing she graduates with high marks will help right?" asked Gohan, running a nervous hand through his hair.

"We could always ask for something like a loophole to be made," suggested Goku. "Something that allows students who have had a medical injury to not have to worry so much..."

"That's not a half-bad idea," Gohan brightened up. "And we could help out almost everyone who's had a similar injury by wishing for them to make a loophole like that, so we're helping out others too."

"So it's done then?" asked Goku as Gohan gave a firm nod. "Alright then, we wish for all the schools on Earth to have a loophole written into their rulebooks so that any kid who'll have a medical problem, similar to Videl's, will be able to experience their educations in way similar to what would have occurred if they didn't have any medical problems."

The translator met Moori's eyes, and once the older Namekian gave him a nod, he walked forwards with confidence. Speaking lowly, he repeated Goku's wish word for word in Namekian while Gohan watched on anxiously.

" **That is your wish?"** questioned Porunga, as its eyes began to glow red, " **then so be it! It has be done."**

"Did it work?" asked Goku, almost like an anxious three-year old after the dragon spoke.

"I believe so," said Moori as he looked up to Porunga who gave a slight nod of confirmation. "You are dismissed."

" **I see, I shall return to my slumber then**." With a great boom and a crackle of lightning, the dragon's body split into seven large, orange balls. With rocket-like speeds, they shot off in a burst to every corner of the planet.

"So what do we do now?" Goku asked Gohan, "Was there anything else you wanted to do."

"No, not really," replied Gohan. "I guess we better head back now, mum's probably going to be upset that we both disappeared without telling her anyway."

"Alrighty," said Goku as he raised two fingers to his forehead before hesitating. "Oh! Where are my manners? Thank you guys for everything, we really appreciate it."

"Yeah," added Gohan as he looked towards the crowd of Namek meaningfully. "I don't know what I would've done without your kindness."

"Do not mention it," responded Moori. "We will forever be in debt for what your father and yourself did for our people, and our planet, when you fended off Frieza's forces."

"Wow it's really been a while since that happened, hasn't it?" Gohan rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Indeed, especially to us as our years pass much faster than your Earthling ones," Moori gave a warm nod of his head. "Now do tell Dende that I said 'hi' for me."

"Will do," grinned Goku as he grasped onto his son's shoulder, two fingers pressed gently against his forehead. "I think it's time for us to head home."

…

"Videl, honey, are you awake?" asked Hercule despite knowing that it was unlikely. He moved closer towards the young teenager and placed a warm hand on her forehead, "I just wanted to let you know that everything's going to be okay."

Though the girl didn't move an inch, he continued as though she were listening in to every word. "This was so irresponsible of me, I should have never left you alone the way I did... I should have hired a bodyguard or something."

Moving forward to ruffle her raven locks gently, he found himself shuddering in a moment of weakness. She looked so pure, so innocent... so free... what on Earth had he been thinking, to let her fight  _crime_  years before she even began to touch the wisps of womanhood?

From what he understood, if just one of the crooks had been slightly more accurate, he wouldn't have been standing in the hospital at the moment. No, he'd be mournfully sobbing over the girl's closed casket. With a heavy heart Hercule took the time to stare out of the half-open window, eyeing the starless night sky with a painful gaze. His wife wasn't the kind to pick at faults or anything, but how on Earth would she have ever been able to forgive him if their only child ended up meeting her at heaven's gates before he did?

He had known the dangers of death for some time now, just how easy it was for someone's life to just slip away from them at the time nobody expected it. He had experienced it several times, though he was only just in his late-forties he had lost almost everyone close to him. His mother had died in childbirth, his father had died a week before he entered high school and his wife had died just months before he managed to make the first major breakthrough of his career. Videl was all he had left, how foolish was he to leave her so expendable? Just out there in the open for someone to strike... with the incredible amount of fame he had, it was a miracle that she hadn't been kidnapped or something yet.

He chuckled slightly as he remembered just what his wife would've said had she been present. She would have whacked him over the head slightly for being so overprotective and told him that Videl was able to hold her own. He would've replied by saying that with her memory issues, things weren't as simple anymore and the two of them would've agreed with each other's points before embracing one another. Some World Champion he was... so weak without her.

He never let it leak out into the physical world but without her, the afro-wearing man knew that emotionally he would never be the same. It was kind of ridiculous that he had gone on to become so famous, becoming one of the greatest non-Ki wielding martial artists in modern times, without her. Hercule wasn't going to lie to himself though, he knew that the biggest part of his career was based off a lie but as he liked to put it: he was half-martial artist, half-businessman. The eldest Satan had simply seen an opportunity and taken it, taking fame which nobody (especially not Gohan) would have ever otherwise claimed.

Was he that bad a person for trying to make his little girl proud? Sure it was a lie, but like with any twist of words, half-truth or form of deceit it all snowballed. He was iconic before, he represented a piece of the world of martial arts, afterwards he slowly began to shift away from just martial arts and eventually ended up representing the world. Who would've thought that he would've gone onto become such a successful person without his wife? After she had gone, after she had lost the opportunity to enjoy the rich and exotic fruits of his labour... it was like one last twist in the story book that was his life before he reached his happy ever after.

Silently berating himself for allowing himself to slip into such a state of mind again, he glanced back towards the sleeping eighteen year old on the hospital bed again. As he watched her stomach rise, slowly but steadily, some part of him couldn't help but wish that her physical body had reverted to its mental age too. It sounded odd, ridiculous and creepy... he'd admit that... but at the same time, where had the time gone? She had already turned  _eighteen_ , she was an adult in the eyes of the law and the eyes of those around her. What had happened to his little girl?

Maybe, just maybe, she had grown up. The answer was chillingly shot down as soon as it had surfaced, as his face contorted to that of a caring father's. No, even if he were to ignore the amnesia, his baby girl still had a lot of growing up to do. If he was being true to himself, it was fair to say that every person, himself included, did too but at least he knew that the joys of fatherhood had not yet ended.

"... Dad?" She began to stir slowly as she opened an eye. "Is that you?"

Hercule grimaced, it was clear that she was still in some form of pain. "Yeah, how are you fairing honey?"

"I-I'm better than I was before," answered the girl, her voice a husky whisper that Hercule had to be careful to not lose in the night's howling winds.

"That's great to hear," he attempted to say positively. "Do ya want me to go fetch you a nurse?"

"Nah," though pain still laced her face, it was a great weight off his chest to see her grinning from ear to ear. "I wanna just talk, if that's alright."

"Talk?" Hercule frowned slightly, though he wasn't going to deny the girl's request, he couldn't help but ponder upon the absurdity of it.

"Yeah," it was almost possible to hear the smile through her voice. "It gets lonely around here, y'know."

"Oh..." said Hercule, realising that the girl probably wasn't aware that he knew she had been unconscious for quite a while. "What'd you want to talk about?"

"J-Just stuff," she replied nonchalantly.

"Just stuff?" he repeated, "Is this about a boy or something?"

" _Daaad_ ," whined Videl, "it's just about stuff."

"Okay then," he played along. Perhaps somewhere deep down he had forgotten that the girl wasn't quite the adult that she often tried to be anymore. "So how's school?"

"It's okay," she answered, "just been tiring lately."

"I hear you," chuckled Hercule; to say he wasn't exhausted after everything that had happened within the last month or two would be a large understatement.

"S-So do you have any idea how much longer it is till I'm outta here?" asked Videl, the giddy excitement in her voice only adding to Hercule's every growing smile.

"Nope," said Hercule, "but I'll bet that even this place won't be able to hold you down for long."

"You know me," she laughed weakly. "I bet all the teachers at school are going to be pretty annoyed with me though, getting stuck in hospital again and all."

"Well if they don't like it, they'll just have to deal with it," said Hercule firmly. "Nobody's going to be saying anything to my baby girl under my watch."

Hercule knew that he overplayed the protective father card but it was the times like these, the ones where he could offer himself to be Videl's shield, that made it all worth it.

…

"Hey, Gohan!" called Erasa, attracting the attention of the demi-Saiyan as he walked through the door. "Sit over here."

Looking around dumbly, his eyes managed to reach the vacant spot next to Erasa. His former seat, the one he'd given up to Videl when she had returned to school all those days ago. In light of the dragon's words, he couldn't help but reflect on how stupid that decision had been. There were plenty of empty seats close to Erasa that Videl could've taken, why did he have to make it seem as though he didn't exist?

Though he knew the answer to it, the question circled through his mind for the next few minutes as he sat down next to Erasa. Glancing at the blonde, he muttered a greeting before hesitating as he saw the conflicted look in the girl's eyes. She didn't look... right? Though her eyes were blue like Videl's, he quickly realised that they looked a lot smaller and red. Almost puffy, he wouldn't go so far as to say that the girl had been crying but she seemed tired and perhaps sleep deprived too.

Catching himself halfway, he dropped those thoughts, as he realised he attempting to diagnose he-

"Well, well, looks like books has finally come out of the shadows," teased Sharpner as he tapped his pencil on the desk beside Erasa.

"Cut it out, Sharpner," said Erasa as she glared light-heartedly at the jock. "We haven't gotten to talk to Gohan in like forever."

"I guess," the blond agreed. "So I suppose you know that Videl's in hospital, right?"

"Yep," he said sullenly. "I didn't manage to get to her in time and once again, someone else suffered the consequences for my tardiness." Upon receiving a confused look from both blonds, he rephrased his statement, "Someone else suffered again because I was late."

"Give yourself a break, brains," said Sharpner. "It's probably not that easy to get to cri-"

"Sssshhh," interrupted Erasa before her voice dropped to a whisper. "People can hear us, you know?"

"Right," Sharpner heeded the girl's advice, "It's probably not that easy to get to crime scenes right on time, each and every time."

"I guess," Gohan shrugged, "but it's not like speed's really a problem for me."

"Well I don't think that you tried to make an effort to  _not_  be there on time," said Erasa, as Sharpner nodded his head in agreement. "So I think you should stop being so hard on yourself."

"Still, she could've gotten hurt really badly or something," Gohan said, his quiet voice laced with worry.

"Why don't you make it up to her then?" asked Erasa, earning herself a confused look from the spiky-haired boy. "Visit her in hospital, bring her some flowers, check on how she's doing. After all, if you're that disappointed with yourself, you owe it to her to at least visit her."

Gohan's mouth fell slightly agape at the girl's words, however he couldn't bring himself to fault her logic. Perhaps it was time to cave in and stop pushing her away... despite what they were, or rather what they weren't, she had been hospitalised and as a good person it was only right that he visited her. "Alright," he agreed, as the girl broke out into a grin.

"After school then?" she asked, "I'll come with, Sharpner can too if he likes."

At the girl's words, the taller blond declined. "Unfortunately, I'm busy, but I might drop in if I get a chance."

"Busy?" questioned Erasa, "What are you going to be doing?"

"There's this party I promised I'd be at," explained Sharpner. "I'll definitely go visit her tomorrow though."

"I'm still not too sure about this though," said Gohan, a slight frown upon his face. "What do I say to her, I mean it's been so long since I've so much as even talked to her..."

"Let me handle that," smiled Erasa, her tired eyes shimmering. "For now, it looks like we've got an English class to get through."

…

"I like that one," said Erasa as she gave a nod of approval to the bouquet of violets that Gohan had clasped in his hands.

"I think she would too," commented Gohan as he reached into his pocket. Fumbling around for the money, he passed it along to the cashier without bothering to look at the old man.

"Take it that you and your girlfriend are going to visit someone?" asked the cashier, "Those are some pretty good flowers."

"Actually, we're just friends," said Erasa, a flustered look upon her face. "He's pretty cute though."

"Maybe one day he'll work up the courage to ask you out then, eh?" the cashier winked at Erasa, playing along.

"Doubt it," laughed the blonde. "He's way too shy."

Looking to the ground as he blushed, Gohan grabbed the change from the chuckling cashier's hand before tucking it into his wallet and proceeding to lead Erasa out of the building.

"So where was her room again?" asked Gohan, "If I remember right, it was somewhere in the C-Wing?"

"D-Wing, room 242 I think," she corrected. "I have to say though, Gohan, I never expected you to come along with me."

"I guess you could say I had a change of heart," admitted the Son boy as they headed into an elevator. Pushing on a button, he continued, "I figured I kinda owe it to her since the amnesia's got her in a pretty bad state."

"And what were you doing the last few months?" asked Erasa, "She's not lost anymore memory during that time, so what made you suddenly decide to go see her?"

"This probably isn't going to be the easiest thing to explain," said Gohan, "but there was this little solution to the whole problem with Videl's memory, you see there are these seven mystical-"

"Magic alien powers," interrupted Erasa. "There's no point in explaining what it was since I don't reckon it's going to make any sense to me, just like all the other wacky-stuff you sometimes talk about."

"Uh... right, magic alien powers," Gohan chuckled nervously. "So we had this solution, a last-resort that we didn't really want to use in case her memory came back naturally."

"But?" Erasa questioned, impatiently as they stepped out the elevator.

"I'm getting to that, so we thought that it'd be worth it to just wait and see how things turned out. Long story short, a few circumstances presented the opportunity for us to use it and since not using it would've turned out to be a waste, we decided to go for it," explained Gohan.

"So did it work?"

"Not really," said Gohan awkwardly. "We all thought it would, but it just fell flat on its face."

"And what's that got to do with you having a change of heart?" asked Erasa as they walked along a corridor, unable to connect the dots.

"I'm not all that sure but now I'm not as comfortable about the whole situation," answered Gohan. "I just feel... powerless."

"Like you can't do anything?" prodded Erasa, "Well I guess you should get used to that, it's how plenty of normal people feel on a day-to-day basis."

"I know that," sighed Gohan. "It's just that it doesn't feel right... anyway, I think were here."

"Yep," said Erasa as she pointed to the silver '242' painted onto the door. "Oh and by the way, there might be other people in there. I think she was sharing the place with a few others."

"Alright," said Gohan as he took a deep breath before pushing the door open, hesitating only slightly as he did so. Closing his eyes, he gripped the flowers tighter in his hands as he stepped on into the rather quiet room.

Taking a sniff from his nostrils, he was pleased to find that the room didn't smell overly horrific, rather the almost odourless scent of hospital air freshener ran amok. Opening his eyes with a jolt, he broke into an easy smile as he saw four different hospital beds, each with their own curtains so as to insure privacy. Thankfully, they were all drawn so he didn't need to deal with the embarrassment of being flustered in front of any onlookers.

As he looked around for Videl's bed, Erasa nudged him slightly on the shoulder before capturing his attention and gesturing to the bed on the right with her arm. Following the blonde's hand, Gohan gulped as he saw two very curious, and two very awake blue eyes staring back at him.

Stammering forward, Erasa following him from behind, he muttered a greeting. "Hi, Videl, it's me... Gohan. You might not remember me but I'm one of your classmat-"

"I didn't lose my memory again you know," she informed him icily, as blood flushed his cheeks. How could he have been so stupid? "You help me in Maths class sometimes, so why would I not remember you?"

"I-I guess I thought that someone as busy as you wouldn't remember someone so insignificant," stuttered Gohan, moving on as he knew it was a weak excuse. "Anyway, Erasa and I got you these." Gohan weakly presented the purple violets, his body breaking out into an anxious sweat.

"Actually, Gohan here was the one who picked them out," chimed in Erasa happily, "he even paid for it."

"Uhh thanks," said Videl as she gestured for Gohan to place them on the table to her side, where he noticed there were a variety of gifts... but no flowers. "I'm not really one for flowers and stuff but I've always thought violets were pretty cool."

"You're welcome," said Gohan awkwardly. "So how are you liking the hospital?"

"I hate not being able to move," she laughed melodically. "But the doctor says I'm getting there, so I'll probably be out of here soon."

"I'm sure Gohan would love to tell you about all the maths homework that you've missed out on," smirked Erasa devilishly as she made for the door. "So I'll leave the two of you to it, I need to go and I only came here to make sure he didn't get lost. See ya guys."

If it were possible, more blood rushed up towards Gohan's cheeks as the half-Saiyan prayed to whichever deity that would listen that the girl in front of him didn't take note of it. "S-See ya Erasa, t-thanks for your help."

"Yeah, of course you're going to ditch me the one time I want your company," joked Videl as she bid farewell to the bubbly blonde. "Bye, remember to come visit me tomorrow though."

"Alrighty, now you two have fun," giggled Erasa as she left the room, leaving the former-crime fighting duo to themselves. "I'll make sure I drag Sharpner along too."

"So..." said Videl as she attempted to make conversation, "Son Gohan, was it?"

"Yeah," nodded Gohan as he suddenly became aware of the constant pounding of the heart within his chest.

"That's a pretty fancy last name," commented Videl with a grin. "It beats Satan any day, and if I'm not mistaken its the last name of a pretty famous martial artist."

"I guess it's not that uncommon in rural areas," said Gohan, knowing exactly which  _famous_  martial artist she was talking about. "But what's wrong with Satan, I always thought it sounded pretty cool?"

"I guess you're right," answered Videl with a slight sigh, "but it also sounds pretty evil. But haha I guess I'm stuck with it."

"Yep..." trailed off Gohan awkwardly, aware of the girl's attempts to keep the conversation from dying but unsure of how to continue it. "So I take it you haven't done much Maths work lately?" he asked lamely.

"Nope," she said with a small giggle. "But I was starting to make a fair bit of progress, almost done with most of the Year 10 syllabus."

"How've you been learning it?" questioned Gohan, knowing that the words they were trading were finally heading more into his field of expertise.

"Just going through the textbook and doing a few questions from each exercise mentally," said Videl. "It's confusing stuff but the teacher gave me a special book which covers all the questions that you get in the examples, so no confusing stuff for me."

"That's probably not the greatest way to do it," frowned Gohan. "If you don't make sure you're testing yourself, you'll probably not learn anything."

"I don't know about that," she replied, "I'm not doing all that bad, and plus it's pretty hard to write tests when you're the one sitting them."

"Still," he insisted, "I-I could probably lend you a hand with that, if you'd like?"

"Hmm... all right, as soon as I get out of this damn hospital bed," she chuckled light-heartedly. "So how's English, I think I have that with you?"

"Yeah, you do," answered the demi-Saiyan. "It's okay, I could tell you which chapters we were assigned for hom-"

"Relax," Videl's eyes sparkled as she sat up. "I've only been out for a few days, it's not like I've missed anything spectacular and besides I want to enjoy my time off."

"I guess that's fair enough," the spiky-haired boy nodded, though he was trying to stay calm his legs were slowly turning into jelly. "S-So what's being in the hospital like?"

"What, the actual hospital bit or the being shot bit?"

"Both, I guess," he answered as he gestured to the chair beside her. "D-Do you mind if I sit down?"

"Be my guest," said Videl, "it's pretty lonely around here since everyone else around here is unconscious most of the time... and when they're awake, they're usually too weak to hold a conversation with me."

"You seem pretty talkative for someone who's been hospitalised," noted Gohan with a nod as he took a seat. "So how're you feeling?"

"Pretty good actually," she smiled. "It feels like getting shot was just the break that I needed with everything that's been happening lately, lying down in a bed and not worrying about anything's really relaxing."

"What do you mean?" asked Gohan, "Unless school's been extra pressing on you lately, I'd have thought that you'd be a little more free with... you know, you not helping the police out anymore."

"Yes and no," explained the blue-eyed girl, "I guess you're right about being booted off the Force, I've got a lot more free time. But at the same time things were just moving _so_  fast even though it all felt pretty bland. My dad and I weren't really as close as we used to be, and there was a lot of emotional weight that really sucked."

"You should probably work things out between your dad and yourself," said Gohan. "There was this period of time a few years back where I was really questioning a choice that my dad made... even though I didn't get to talk to him about it, my mum and I had a long chat and we figured some stuff out; I reckon if dad had been there we would've reached the same outcome."

"A good one, I hope?" chuckled Videl before nodding, "We actually just sorted things out just yesterday, so I feel pretty worry-free at the moment."

"That s-sounds great," said Gohan, his smile faltering on the inside. So not only had he abandoned her, but she had been at odds with Mr. Satan too?

"It really is, so I guess you'd understand why I really don't mind lying around all day."

"Heh I always thought you were more restless," Gohan said, "You were always eager to punch stuff."

"Did you know me before I-I... you know...?"

"Yeah," he nodded, figuring that anyone else would've been able to tell her that. "Well not really, it's just that we're not exactly complete strangers either. I'm not exactly a new kid..."

An apologetic look overcame her face, contrasting the bemused one on Gohan's, as she recalled their conversation at the Sushi Bar a while ago. "Oh, sorry about that, guess I just forgot that I lost my memory."

"Heh don't worry about it," chuckled Gohan. "It's not your fault."

"So anyway, you got any good stories to tell?" she joked, "I'm starting to get a little sleepy and I wouldn't mind a bedtime story."

"U-Uh... no?" his voice faltering awkwardly at the peculiar request.

"Damn it," she snapped her fingers in exaggeration before laughing loosely. "So how are things going on your end?"

"Pretty well," said the black-haired boy. "I've been pretty on edge about something private for the last few days, but other than that life's not bad."

"Aww I hope that works out for you then," said the Satan girl as she sat up a little more. "What about school and all, you still acing maths?"

"I guess you could say that," Gohan smiled however not at the ex-crimefighter's words. It had been several months since he'd had a somewhat decent conversation with Videl, at least where the main topic wasn't school work, and he couldn't help but bask in the feeling.

It felt good.

…


	11. Chapter 11

"Are you going to come with us?" asked Sharpner stopping and turning around.

"Yeah, I'm sure Vi would love to see you again!" exclaimed Erasa.

"Uhh I don't know guys," said Gohan. "I feel a little bad about not being there for Videl at all but I still don't think it's a good idea if we become too close."

"Bullshit," snorted Sharpner. "Stop being such a whiny brat and come with us, she's in hospital after all."

"I know," stated Gohan in an irritated tone. "I was the one who took her there after all."

"Then why are you complaining?" asked Erasa as she grabbed the hem of the demi-Saiyan's t-shirt and pulled him towards the door. Though it would be no hard feat for him to stay put, he allowed the blonde to drag him along with a mere frown upon his face.

"So how was she yesterday?" questioned Sharpner as they made their way out of the school grounds. "Gotten to talk to her yet?"

"Briefly," answered Erasa before smirking slightly. "Gohan, here, was busting for some alone time with her though so I left the two love birds be."

"Y'know that it's not like that anymore Erasa," sighed Gohan. "I just want to make sure she gets out of hospital alright and then things can go back to the way they were before."

"The way they were before?" repeated Sharpner with a questioning tone.

"With me staying away from her," he scowled for some reason. He knew what he had to do and what he wanted to do but the repeated mention of the topic was starting to wear thin on the tall boy.

"Be that way, then," grunted Erasa as she crossed her arms. "We're just trying to make things easier on you."

"You'll make things harder for everyone," he replied without missing a beat. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

"I hope you do too," said Sharpner roughly as they continued walking towards the hospital wordlessly.

Attempting to not make eye-contact with anything but the ground, Gohan allowed himself to fall slightly behind the pair in front of him. He felt like a jerk and he knew that in some ways that he was being one, however that did not prevent him from wishing that his friends wouldn't probe into such places.

"If you're gonna be such a grouch, you better at least get her flowers again," Erasa put her hands on her hips.

"She didn't really seem to like the ones from yesterday, though," said Gohan dejectedly, his voice still low.

"Are you kidding?" asked Erasa incredulously, "Did you see her face? She was so surprised!"

"That doesn't mean it was in a good way," grumbled Gohan.

"That doesn't mean it was in a bad way either, Brains," inputted Sharpner. "Look, I'm not looking to play matchmaker or anything, but it's time you made a choice. It's now or never man, you've got to decide whether you still want to be around Videl or just phase out of her life forever."

"Of course he wants to be around Videl," Erasa screwed up her face. "They're both really cute together, it's funny they get all  _glowy_  around each other.

"That's not your choice to make," Sharpner held up a hand in defence of Gohan. He didn't want the boy to get the wrong idea with everything that had happened. "But seriously Brains, it's driving us insane, and I'm sure if Videl ever found out that you'd pretended everything that… happened… didn't happen, you'd sure as hell hope that you're on another planet."

"Guys, I think you're being a little dramatic here," argued Gohan. "I don't know what you're up to but I'm not planning to start things up with Videl again unless it's as friends and even then, I'm not too sold on the idea."

"Why not?" Erasa sighed, "I know you don't like to talk about this kind of stuff, but don't you think it's fair if we got a bit of an explanation as to what happened?"

"Maybe a I owe you guys one," admitted Gohan as a look of contemplation crossed his face. "But at the same time, I'm not sure if I'm comfortable saying it."

"C'mon Brains, we're like the only friends you've had and we've known you for years now!" Sharpner attempted to persuade the Son boy into talking. "It's not like we're going to laugh at you or think any less of you for it."

"Yeah, and I've really learned to keep that big mouth of mine closed in the past few years," added Erasa. "Don't you think it'd be fair to just give us a chance?"

"I'm still not sure…" said Gohan sullenly. "But I really don't think that someone like Videl  _deserves_  me."

"Has this got something to do wit-"

"We're here!" exclaimed Erasa as she glanced at the aged building of the Satan hospital.

"Whatever," Sharpner rolled his eyes before taking one last look at Gohan. "Just don't push everyone away because being lonely isn't fun."

Gohan nodded slightly, although the words went in one ear and out the next, before attempting to smile in order to relieve the tension. "So what do you say we go get her some flowers?"

"I'm sure she'd love it," agreed Erasa, evidently not the only one of the trio thankful for a change of topic.

"We could get her some daffodils, I know she likes those," suggested the jock as he ran a hand through his long hair.

"No Sharpner, she hates those, remember?" asked Erasa rhetorically before giggling slightly. "Why don't we let Gohan pick her some flowers, I'm sure he'd have a clue as to what she likes."

"Uhh I'm not sure if her fifteen year old self's really into flowers… her eighteen year old self certainly didn't have a thing for them either, but I guess we could get her some lilies," answered Gohan as he recalled an intimate night a few months ago in which the former couple had laid in a flower bed under the stars. It felt like it had occurred eons ago, now.

"Well, let's go then," said Erasa as she threw her hands forward, before walking through the hospital doors. Looking around quickly as Gohan and Sharpner quickened their paces to catch up, she smiled slightly as she saw the same gift shop they had bought the flowers from the other day.

When she felt the presence of the two boys behind her begin to near, the blonde took a deep breath before stepping into the shop and taking a large sniff of the air. Pleasant aromas, ones you'd never find anywhere else amongst the hospital that was always disinfected with care, filled her nostrils. Slightly enthralled by the smell of the various flowers and perfumes, Erasa looked towards the section with the flowers before rapidly turning back as something caught her eye.

Inspecting the sign which read "Baby Wear" in pink and blue letters, she smiled slightly. The little onesies were delicate little things, even without babies inside them they still looked ridiculously adorable and she couldn't help but wonder what if would be like to one day have a child of her own. Making a note to return to the place at some other time, she smiled slightly as Gohan and Sharpner finally caught up to her.

"So what do you think?" she said, gesturing the various assortments of flowers in front of her. "Still want to stick with the lilies?"

"Yeah," said Gohan without much thought. "I'm sure those would be her second favourite."

"I still say she'd like daffodils the best," grumbled Sharpner as a chuckling Erasa swooped up a bouquet of the light-purple coloured flowers.

"I reckon she'll live," laughed Erasa as she handed the bouquet over to Gohan, following him to the counter. "You sure you don't want me to pay?"

"Oh hush," the cashier from the day before said with a grin. "You're the lady, it's only right that he pays. Especially if he's not yet asked you out even though you clearly said that you thought he was cute yesterday!"

Blushing bright red and glancing towards the ground, for once Erasa stuttered, "I-It's not like that."

"That's what they all say," snorted the cashier before looking towards Gohan. "So will that be cash or credit?"

"Cash," said Gohan as he dug around in his pockets for the money. With a smile, he exchanged it with the old lady for the bouquet.

"So, ready to surprise her?" asked Gohan, the small feud between the three of them forgotten, as he looked to the two blondes. Erasa nodded however the girl was still a little red from the cashier's comments while Sharpner seemed to be a little sullen. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary for the jock - who had once been quite a loudmouth - to have nothing to say but it was the fact that his head was slightly down that troubled Gohan.

Walking out of the store, he put some distance between the three of them and the place before spinning around and glancing at Sharpner. "Are you alright Sharpner?"

The blond boy merely shrugged before a frown overcame his rough features. Taking a deep breath, he shot a dark, dejected look at Erasa.

"… You think he's cute?"

…

"I swear you guys are trying to make me take up gardening," chuckled Videl as she placed the flowers that Gohan had handed her to the table on her side.

"It wouldn't hurt you to do something a little more feminine," teased Erasa. "So anyway, are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah much, much better than I have for any of the past few months," said Videl with an oddly gentle smile.

"Sucks that the same can't be said for the chick next to you," said Sharpner as he jabbed a thumb in the air towards the girl who Videl had attempted to save. "About time she woke up now, isn't it?"

"It's a bummer but the doctors say that warning bells shouldn't really start ringing until a week or so passes," replied Videl.

"Well her vitals are all fine," said Gohan as he analysed the various instruments surrounding the still-unconscious girl. His mother had pushed him to pursue a variety of different careers, and at the top of that list was a high-paying job in the medical industry so the boy knew the basics.

"Why were people after her anyway?" asked Erasa, "She looks like your average twelve year old."

"Yeah," said Sharpner, suddenly remembering all the suspicion he'd had of the ordeal the other day as he spun around to face Videl. "What gives?"

"I'm not sure," shrugged Videl casually. "I saw a bunch of thugs roughing her up while I was walking home, and y'know, jumped in."

"You're lucky Saiyaman was there to save you," Sharpner made sure to not look at Gohan. "That was pretty reckless."

"Seriously?" Videl groaned, "Dad just got off my back and now you're jumping on. What happened to the guy who would've done anything for some excitement?"

"I guess it's a bit weird for you since you wouldn't remember it, after all," answered Sharpner as his voice lowered. "But let's just say it took the loss of someone close to me for me to finally sober up."

"What?" Videl's head lurched forward, "Someone died?"

Sharpner stared back at Videl without hesitation, his face unflinching. "It was my dad, a heart attack got the better of him almost two years ago now."

"T-That sucks," said Vide in shock, the ex-crimefighter at a loss for words. "He was a great man and I'm very sorry to hear that."

"It's alright, I've gotten past it now. All of you guys, you too, Videl, played an important part in helping me come to grips with it," muttered Sharpner, his voice sounding unsure of itself. "But I guess you could say that my life turned around a little that day."

"I wouldn't say it was in a bad way either," joked Erasa, drawing a few half-hearted, awkward laughs. A pregnant pause overtook the room for a few moments before the blonde broke the silence, unwilling to let morbid thoughts linger. "But anyway, what do you reckons the bad guys were after her for?"

"She's a little kid, I don't see any reason why she would be a target aside from any important family members or something," deduced Gohan. "Someone influential or rich would certainly be able to pay a lot of ransom money."

"Doesn't make sense," Sharpner rejected Gohan's theory. "They shot her, there's no way they'd be getting any sum of money for a corpse."

"Only after I showed up though," added Videl. "Maybe they figured it wasn't worth it?"

"There were like twenty of them… or so I hear…" said Gohan, cursing inwardly for almost slipping up. "I doubt you could have subdued all of them, and the amnesiac daughter of one of the richest men on the planet would probably be even more valuable to them."

"Pfft, you're underestimating me," said Videl coolly. "They just got lucky with their guns, I would've had no trouble ripping them a new one if they'd been empty handed."

"Still what were you doing walking around like that, don't you have a chauffeur or something?" questioned Sharpner.

"Mark? Yeah, so what, walking's actually pretty refreshing," Videl flipped her hair nonchalantly.

"I'll bet that she'll need all the time she can get away from him with that cute face of his, it'd hard to do anything but think about it all day," said Erasa, oblivious to the glare Sharpner was shooting her way.

"What's the point of having a chauffeur if you don't use his services?" he asked logically as he took a breath to calm himself down. "I know you don't like it but in your current state, you're more vulnerable than you'd expect."

"I wish all of you guys would stop treating me like some sort of princess-doll," scowled Videl. "I can look after myself, I'm alive, aren't I?"

"That's not the point, Videl," argued the blond. "You've got to be more careful, for all of us, no one wants to see you in an even worse position."

"Relax Sharpner, you make it sound like she's walking around town flaunting pure gold teeth," Erasa waved a hand. "No one's going to go after her now anymore than they would've eight months ago."

"Yeah, all of you seem to be forgetting that I could probably whoop all of your butts to the moon and back," Videl smashed her fist into her left palm. "I've been beating up bad guys since fourteen, and I'm the defending Junior World Martial Arts Champion, remember?"

"Actually, you lost that title a couple of years ago," Gohan reminded her. "From sixteen and up, they stick you in the normal tournaments."

"That's right," cursed Videl. "I guess I'll just have to do better and beat my dad in the next one."

"There's another one?" asked Erasa, "I thought you gave up fighting."

Videl merely grinned, "Crime fighting? Maybe… but good ol' fighting? Nah."

"Whatever, it's still like a year away so don't jump anytime soon," said Sharpner. "We've still got to figure out why they were after the girl anyway."

"Her sister's that annoying reporter, maybe that's got something to do with it?" suggested Erasa.

"I didn't really like the way she rubbed me to be completely honest," admitted Sharpner. "But I don't really think that's got much to do with a bunch of gangsters."

"Maybe we're overthinking it," sighed Gohan. "They're criminals, they don't always carefully plan out every single little thing they do."

"I reckon Gohan's got a point," agreed Videl with a nod as she propped herself up against the wall behind her, the duvet crumpling to the bed. "Now let's say we give this whole thing a rest."

"Yeah, we came here to visit Videl, not to play detective," said Erasa as Sharpner threw his hands up in defeat. "So what were we talking about before?"

"Me gardening," grumbled the Satan girl, almost unsure which of the two topics she preferred. "I've got to say though, I like the flowers you guys got me."

"It was all Gohan again," Erasa said all-too-eager to get things moving between the pair. She just needed to get Gohan to see the light that was Videl once more.

"Figured you'd like lilies," Gohan grimaced as he drew the attention of the pig-tailed girl. It felt wrong to be able to exploit the girl; he knew her darkest secrets, from covert passions to her deepest burning desires.

"Well thanks," she nodded appreciatively. "I don't really like flowers that much but you definitely know which ones I don't completely hate."

"Heh I knew you'd finally show your girly side," Erasa stuck her tongue out at the girl who promptly returned the gesture. "Now I've just got to talk you into getting a better wardrobe."

"Yeah, not happening," Videl said flatly, dashing the other girl's hopes.

"I reckon she looks fine with what she normally wears anyway," added Gohan, drawing a blush from the girl.

"T-Thanks, see even Gohan agrees with me," she said awkwardly. "So anyway, I'll finally be out of here in like another day."

"Videl Satan on crutches, that'll be a sight," Sharpner chuckled, earning him a punch to the shoulder from said girl.

…

Gohan stepped out of the hospital before taking a deep breath. Both Erasa and Sharpner were still probably talking with Videl and as much as he wouldn't have minded provided her company, it was going to get dark out soon. As a rule of thumb, he generally tried to get back home before the sky darkened since flying in the dark was a bit of a pain and by the time the sun was down, his mother tended to get a little too worried about his safety.

Looking around and spotting a dark alley, he briskly walked towards it. The city seemed dead and quiet, the wind was howling and whistling loudly, but he didn't mind as he stepped into the lightless place. Quickly looking around him, he exhaled loudly before lifting his wrist up. Eyes nervous of any onlookers, Gohan quickly darted around the run-down, slightly wet alley as he gently pressed on the button of the repaired watch Bulma had supplied him.

With an instant flash, Gohan's clothes changed from his regular garb to his Saiyaman outfit. His black vest was replaced with a vibrant red cape, his white shirt with a long, flowing and green tunic, and his orange pants were traded out for a pair of black ones. Kicking the boots that had materialised with the rest of the outfit against the wall, he pressed two fingers against each temple, the helmet serving as a barrier between his head and his gloved hands.

"I really should get some more practice with this thing," muttered Gohan as he tapped into the police network. Taking a massive jump into the air, Gohan scanned around for any crimes that were being shared over the network. After floating through the air for a few minutes and scouring for nearby crimes, he finally tuned into one which sounded rather shifty.

" _... Cover blown... h-he-"_  he heard the faltering voice of what he could only assume was a police officer.

" _All right, please stay calm and hold on. Officers are on the way, you should be safe in approximately twenty minutes,"_  came the cool and collected voice of the dispatcher. Gohan frowned slightly, the voice was clearly human but the dispatcher didn't seem worried in the slightest when it appeared that this person was in danger.

If any onlookers were present, they would've heard a slight sigh as a green figure took to the skies above them.

…

"So you're sure that I don't need to send Albert around with you to school, right?" asked Hercule worriedly as he allowed the teenager to lean on him for support while she hobbled forward on her crutches.

"Dad, it's fine, really," she almost rolled her eyes, slowly moving past him as she made her way towards a couch. Sitting down, she put her crutches aside, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I've got a mountain load of school work to catch up on."

"Actually school called about that," interjected Hercule before his daughter could shoo him away. "Apparently the government's Department of Education finally got back to them on what to do with you during the last few days."

"Great, let me guess, they want me to repeat the year?" said Videl exasperatedly.

"Hehe, not quite" chuckled Hercule as he rubbed the back of his afro sheepishly. "It turns out that they're actually going to make things slightly easier for you."

"They are?" she asked in surprise. "Isn't that unfair to the rest of the students?"

"Not really," answered Hercule. "It's going to be both easy and hard on you… you won't be doing the same kind of work that everyone else in your year level's doing. Instead, you'll be allocated your own special curriculum that's ehem… 'designed to help jog' your memories."

"I'm not sure if you guys are aware but my memory's barely crawling," said Videl bitterly. "I don't think that's going to makin-"

"Wait, there's more," said Hercule as he reached into his breast pocket. Pulling out and unfolding a piece of paper, he summarised what he was reading. "Basically you'll be running through a curriculum that summarises the key elements of each year level… for every subject."

"That sounds like a lot of work, but I still don't reckon that's going to help. What if I've got trouble doing the work or don't understand a specific concept?" asked Videl, knowing that it would be irritating for even the most patient of her teachers to answer every second question the girl had.

"Well, sweetie, it says here that you'll be required to have a private tutor for each subject. They should be able to answer your questions, you'll have to meet a tutor for each of your six subjects at least once a week."

' _There goes whatever semblance of social life I had,_ ' Videl let out a sigh. "Well I guess it could've been worse, only a couple of months left, right?"

"Yeah, and there's always the off chance that your memory could come back," added Hercule hopefully although his face was anything but. They had both pretty much accepted that her memory wasn't coming back anytime soon; according to the doctors, amnesia was just one of those things… either it'd disappear so quickly that it would be like it had never shown up, or it would take years upon years for it to fade.

Three years of lost memories wasn't that bad, after all Videl could have had it much worse. "Heh, yeah, so anyway how do we go about finding these tutors?"

"Well before school got back to me about that, I'd actually talked to your principal," explained Hercule as Videl's eyes narrowed. "She had told me that seeking out a tutor probably was a good idea, lots of kids have one already to just keep up with the pace of Year 12 anyway."

"I guess, so does that mean you already know a few?"

"More than a few sweetie," chuckled Hercule. "Sometimes I think you forget what I can have done with the snap of my fingers. There's a man who'll cover most of your subjects that your principal suggested to me."

"Cool," said Videl almost uninterested, remembering that it still wasn't too uncommon for her father to occasionally rant about how much of an important person he was. "So I can head back to school in a few days, right?"

"If you'd like," replied Hercule with a concerned frown, "although the doctors suggested that you hold on for a week or so at least."

"Dad, what am I going to do home all alone by myself?" asked Vide. "At least at school I'll be with Erasa and my other friends."

"I suppose sweet heart," Hercule sighed. "I'm just worried that you'll go and get yourself shot again."

"Dad, I didn't  _goand get myself shot_ , okay, I saved a little girl's life!" exclaimed Videl, her voice shrill.

"I'm sorry," he apologised, "I didn't mean it like that. I know you can take care of yourself just fine, it's just that since you're on crutches anyone could take advantage of that."

"Fine," Videl heaved, giving in slightly. "I'll see how I'm feeling after a few days and if I reckon I still need crutches, I'll stay at home."

"'Atta girl."

…

" _Jen, I don't know what your thoughts on this are, but this reporter is going to be locking all of his windows tonight!"_ Videl's eyes anxiously stared at the news reporter who had just come to life along with the television mere seconds ago.

" _Well Bill, there are only so many things that could potentially take out Satan City's very own superhero,"_  the second news reporter said as the camera focused in on a small object on the ground.

" _For those folks who are just tuning in, in the wee hours of the evening tonight a conflict of some sort appeared to break out involving Saiyaman. Naturally, explosions were involved, but very little damage appears to have been done to the surrounding spectators. A nearby elderly man was hospitalised, but we're not for quite sure what for Jen."_

" _So what is it that you think happened to Saiyaman, Bill?"_  questioned the second reporter.

" _We're unsure but early reports seem to indicate that Saiyaman did battle with a few unknown assailants,"_  said Bill as he looked towards the camera. Videl felt her breathing become shallow… Saiyaman was the one who had saved her. " _An explosion occurred and Saiyaman was nowhere to be seen in the aftermath."_

" _Then again, Bill, neither were Saiyaman's assailants,"_  said the female news reporter. " _If we were to fear the worst, then today would be a tragic black mark in Satan City's history books."_

Videl, for her part, was not sure what to make of the news. This Saiyaman character didn't sound like someone who would be taken down by anything, given that he had batted bullets away the other day like they were  _nothing_. The former crimefighter wasn't sure how exactly that was  _even_  possible given that she had never heard of anything like the feat but she didn't pay it much mind. This guy could also apparently fly and he had taken out the thugs that had her and the little girl cornered in the blink of an eye.

" _We are still awaiting more details, but you can rest assured that we will cover it as the situation develops. To think that this would happen to Satan City's own superman so soon after his reappearance…"_

Videl let the second news reporter get out one last sentence before shutting the TV off. " _We can be sure of one thing though… Satan City's hearts will be with our favourite masked man tonight."_

…

"I just don't understand," said Gohan as he tore at his hair angrily. "Why didn't the wish work?"

"Calm down, kiddo," said Bulma as she raised a cigarette to her glossy lips. With a small sigh, she lit the stick with her pocket lighter. "It's not the end of the world, she's survived four months and I'm sure she can survive a few more until we figure this thing out."

"That's not going to help though," said the teenager defeatedly. "Even if we figure out why Porunga couldn't grant our wish, that won't magically let us come up with a solution which fixes everything."

"Like I said, Gohan, you need to relax. This discussion will go nowhere if you let go of your hold on your emotions," said Bulma warily as she eyed her childhood friend's son. Even though he was just beginning to reach manhood, Bulma noted that unfortunately he still had as weak a grasp on his emotions as he'd had back when he'd fought Cell. "Besides, I thought you wanted this. To have a fresh start and all… from what I hear, you guys did end up using a wish to help her and all other kids in similar situations out at school so now her memories won't affect her schooling life too much."

"I do," said Gohan before looking down to the ground. "I did, I thought it was what I wanted."

"But you don't anymore, now that you're not in control of the situation?" asked Bulma as she took a puff of her cigarette, exhaling the smoke in a smooth manner that suggested that she knew the answer.

A look that was a cross between shame and guilt crossed Gohan's face. "Y-Yeah… this whole time, I knew in the back of my head that if something went really wrong the dragonballs would be able to fix it. But now, they can't."

"It's not exactly your fault kiddo, so don't go beating yourself up over it," explained the billionaire. "I'd hate to say I told you so, but you've got to understand that these things will happen in life. So, now let's get onto what we do best - the technical stuff - alright?"

Gohan nodded in understanding. "So the dragon didn't know what was going on, why we couldn't wish for Videl's memories back and neither did any of the Namekians. It didn't matter how we phrased it."

"Normally, if Shenron can't grant a wish he'll provide some kind of vague reason, at least," said Bulma with a sigh. "Did Porunga say anything similar?"

"Yeah, but it made no sense," said Gohan with a frown. "He said that he thought it stemmed from the fact that the mental condition of Videl appeared to be natural."

"Amnesia… natural," repeated Bulma unconvincingly. "I guess, but that sounds like a massive stretch. Plus the cause, the crash, wasn't something that I'd have thought to be natural."

"Exactly," exclaimed Gohan, managing to refrain from shouting as Bulma held up a hand to calm him down. "It doesn't make any sense at all."

"Well did you try maybe, I don't know, wishing for a medicine that would cure Videl's problem?" asked Bulma curiously. "Maybe Porunga couldn't directly fix your little friend, but he might've known what might have." Upon seeing the shocked look of utter defeat on Gohan's face, Bulma backtracked quickly. "Hey, hey, kiddo that's just a wild stab in the dark. Chances are that if none of the stuff you tried worked, this wouldn't have either."

"We can still try with Shenron though," said Gohan, a little more enthusiastically. "Maybe since Porgunga was created by someone else, there'll be a difference in their abilities."

"I'm sorry Gohan," said Bulma sympathetically. "But I don't think that's going to work and we definitely don't want to be left in a position with no Dragon Balls if another Majin Buu decides to show up. Porunga is probably the stronger of the two dragons, anyway."

"But what if he couldn't properly understand what we were saying in Namekian or something?"

"That's a possibility, but - I'm not sure if you remember - Porunga was a lot nicer when we summoned him than Shenron ever was. I'd place good money on him chiming in if the Namekian translation was flawed," explained the genius.

"Right," said Gohan as his posture visibly deflated. "So now what?"

"It's not like you can't try and start over with her," said Bulma before shaking her head. "That change will have to come from yourself though. So, I heard some reporters going crazy about some altercation Saiyaman was in or something?"

"Oh yeah, that," Gohan rubbed his head nervously. "There was something shady going on that I picked up on through that police scanner you installed in my helmet - which works great by the way - and it turned out that there was no-one at the alleged crime scene. Just a bunch of mean looking guys with some pretty big weapons but I managed to take them out without much of a problem."

"So there was no actual crime occurring then?" asked Bulma in surprise. "I guess that was meant to be some kind of a trap."

"Yeah, it's pretty lucky that I was the one who showed up instead of some unsuspecting police officers," said Gohan with a smile.

Bulma, however, was not entirely convinced.

...


End file.
